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RESEARCH

How do faults in the calmodulin gene cause dangerous arrhythmias?

University of Liverpool | Dr Nordine Helassa

Many heart conditions run in families because they are caused by a fault or variation in our genetic code that is inherited through the generations. Some genetic faults increase the risk of developing irregular heartbeats – known as arrhyth...

RESEARCH

Getting FISSical to understand heart muscle contraction

King's College London | Dr Yin Biao Sun

Each heart beat is triggered by a pulse of calcium in a heart muscle cell, and is driven at the molecular level by myosin and actin filaments sliding past each other and generating the force for contraction. Calcium triggers contraction by ...

RESEARCH

Can statins decrease the risk of atrial fibrillation after heart surgery?

University of Oxford | Professor Barbara Casadei

BHF Professor Casadei, at the University of Oxford, is researching the causes of the abnormal heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation (AF), and has identified an important protective role for a gas called nitric oxide (NO). Professor Casadei has...

RESEARCH

Research excellence at the University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge | Professor Nicholas Morrell

The University of Cambridge has received nearly £3 million over the next five years to establish a new interdisciplinary Centre for Cardiovascular Research led by BHF Professor Nick Morrel. In 2008 the BHF began a £34 million investment...

RESEARCH

Uromodulin – a good target for high blood pressure?

University of Glasgow | Professor Sandosh Padmanabhan

In the UK, around a third of all adults have high blood pressure, putting them at higher risk of heart and circulatory disease, and people with kidney problems often develop high blood pressure and heart disease such as heart failure, strok...

RESEARCH

Controlling blood vessel cell overgrowth using carbon monoxide

University of Leeds | Professor Chris Peers

Diseases of the blood vessels often involve vessel thickening which restricts blood flow and can be life-threatening. Vessels thicken because the muscle cells in their wall begin to increase in number (proliferate). These changes are seen i...

RESEARCH

Should patients restart antiplatelet drugs after a haemorrhagic stroke?

University of Edinburgh | Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman

More than one third of the adults with a stroke due to bleeding into the brain – known as brain haemorrhage – are taking drugs to prevent clotting when they have a brain haemorrhage. These patients have previously suffered illnesses like an...

RESEARCH

Research excellence at the University of Oxford

University of Oxford | Professor Hugh Watkins

In 2008 the BHF began a £34 million investment strategy to support four top UK universities as BHF Centres of Research Excellence, aiming to secure the UK’s future as a world-leading force in heart research. The University of Oxford receive...

RESEARCH

Predicting and preventing brain haemorrhage in people taking warfarin after stroke caused by atrial fibrillation

University College London | Professor David Werring

Atrial fibrillation is a condition where the heart beats irregularly, which can lead to a clot forming in the heart chambers. This clot can travel up to block a blood vessel in the brain, causing a stroke. After this type of stroke warfarin...