Covid-19 and cardiovascular health
After the rapid development of a Framework in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, research leaders have selected six National Flagship Projects.
Pre-existing cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors, such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure, have emerged as some of the most important reasons for severe complications from Covid-19.
At the same time it has become clear that Covid-19 infection has important effects on the heart and circulatory system. This highlights why the pandemic and its consequences are of major interest to us the BHF and the cardiovascular research community.
The BHF therefore brought together research leaders from across the UK, through the NIHR-BHF Cardiovascular Partnership.
Together, we developed a Framework with administrative support from the BHF Clinical Research Collaborative, to rapidly identify and prioritise the delivery of a small number of National Flagship Projects that address urgent research questions on Covid-19 and cardiovascular health.
What does flagship status mean?
Flagship status identifies projects that BHF and NIHR centres will support as a priority, while avoiding duplication of effort and maximising opportunities for added value.
In the first three weeks of operation, the Framework received 13 research proposals for consideration. After rigorous peer review of each proposal, six have been selected as National Flagship Projects by the NIHR-BHF Cardiovascular Partnership. The Framework remains open for future applications.
Rapid results
Many of the research teams expect to have their first results within weeks, with the hopes of rapidly improving treatment and care of Covid-19 patients with cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular complications caused by the infection.
A dedicated oversight team will ensure that all Flagship Projects complement each other, share data where needed, and establish durable links that will be relevant for the progress of cardiovascular research beyond the pandemic.