Professor Stephen Ball
BHF Chair of
Cardiology
University of Leeds,
Leeds General Infirmary
The research of Professor Ball and his
colleagues aims to decipher the genetic causes of coronary heart
disease, the ways our bodies sense and repair blood vessel damage,
and how doctors can harness cutting-edge imaging technology for the
benefit of their patients.
Heart disease runs in families
Professor Ball collaborated with BHF
Professor, Nilesh
Samani in the BHF
Family Heart Study. At the time (2000-2005) it was the
largest study of families ever reported to unravel how our genetic
inheritance can predispose some people to heart disease.
Heart and blood vessel repair
Professor Ball’s team has been able to carry
out research on human tissue using sections of, otherwise
discarded, blood vessels and heart tissue kindly donated by
patients undergoing heart surgery in Leeds.
This has been vital in identifying how the
heart and blood vessel carry out DIY repairs. Exploiting these
natural defences in new situations could help us protect ourselves
from the damaging effects of disease.
For example, team member Professor Chris
Peers, made an important discovery about how oxygen is sensed. In
times of oxygen starvation to the heart, such as during heart
attack, such mechanisms may be crucial in kick-starting protective
processes.
A window on the heart
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (cMRI) has
been developed over the last five years to provide a non-invasive
way of assessing heart function and disease damage. A BHF
study of 750 people is now testing if this new approach is better
than current practice, which requires patients to have multiple
tests.
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