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RESEARCH

Understanding how the giant protein titin stretches and relaxes

King's College London | Professor Sergi Garcia-Manyes

During the course of a heartbeat, the muscle expands as the chambers fill with blood and then relaxes as the force of the contraction pushes oxygenated blood around the body. The versatile, elastic function of the heart is so important to i...

RESEARCH

Revealing the role of angiotensin II in pulmonary arterial hypertension

University of Edinburgh | Professor A Mark Evans

In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), higher levels of a hormone called angiotensin II promote PAH because they cause the smooth muscle cells that line the wall of the lung arteries to contract, raising the pressure in these vessels. Hi...

RESEARCH

Large-scale study to aid prediction and prevention of coronary heart disease

University of Cambridge | Professor John Danesh

The British Heart Foundation is funding BHF Professor John Danesh, at the University of Cambridge, nearly £2 million over five years to create an international group of heart experts. This group will bring together data from around the worl...

RESEARCH

How tissue factor triggers blood clotting

Cardiff University | Professor Peter Collins

When blood clots form in blood vessels they block the flow of blood and can cause heart attacks and strokes. Finding new ways to manage blood clotting could prevent and treat blood clots that lead to a heart attack or stroke. Blood clot...

RESEARCH

Pinpointing the links between air pollution and heart damage

University of Manchester | Dr Holly Shiels

Short exposures to air pollution can trigger heart attacks, strokes and irregular heart rhythms, especially in people already at risk of these conditions. Evidence suggests a link between a group of air pollutants called polycyclic aromatic...

RESEARCH

Stopping heart damage turning into heart failure.

University of Edinburgh | Dr Gillian A Gray

Developments in heart attack treatment and research mean that 7 in 10 people will now survive a heart attack. But this isn’t the end of the story for many people. After a heart attack, the heart is often damaged and can continue to change s...

RESEARCH

Studying the proteins responsible for medical device bacterial infections

University of York | Dr Christoph Baumann

Dr Christoph Baumann from the University of York is working out which proteins help the bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis to stick together to form ‘biofilms’. This bacterium is a common cause of hospital infections, gro...