Heart research breakthroughs under threat from funding shortfall

We are calling on Government to commit to increase funding to safeguard the future of UK cardiovascular research and drive advances in some of the country’s biggest killers, including heart disease and stroke.  

The warning comes as our new analysis reveals that cardiovascular disease research funding faces a shortfall of more than a quarter of a billion pounds between 2025 and 2035. The analysis estimates that, due to inflation, Government will need to invest an extra £259 million over the decade just to maintain research spending at 2022 levels.     

 

But we're concerned that this amount falls far short of the true need and want to see Government go further, as evidence shows that cardiovascular disease continues to receive a significantly lower proportion of research funding in the UK compared to its impact on individuals and society.  

 

A recent report from the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) found that cardiovascular disease, stroke and blood disorders accounted for just over 13 per cent of all years lived with a disability or lost to premature death in the UK in 2019. Despite this, together they only received around seven per cent of public and charity research funding in 2022 (£208 million).  

Our growing and ageing population means that the number of people affected by cardiovascular disease is also likely to increase in the coming decades, escalating the need for new discoveries and breakthroughs even further.   

 

In today’s rapidly evolving research landscape, it is vital that cardiovascular research has the funding it needs to keep pace and harness the potential of cutting-edge innovations – including artificial intelligence, gene editing and regenerative medicine – to improve prevention, treatment and survival for millions of heart patients. 

 

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said: “Research breakthroughs have changed cardiovascular disease treatment and care beyond recognition since the 1960s, saving countless lives. But we can’t take this for granted. 

 

“Shockingly cardiovascular disease still causes one death every three minutes in the UK, leaving behind a trail of heartbreak. These findings should ring alarm bells for Government and prompt urgent action to prioritise cardiovascular disease research. A funding boost would be transformational, helping to reignite progress towards future discoveries so that more people can live longer lives in good health.”   

We are also sounding the alarm about the precarious nature of cardiovascular research funding in the UK. The UKCRC report showed that charities remain the largest funders of the field, continuing to fund nearly two thirds (64 per cent - £106 million) of publicly funded cardiovascular research in 2022 in the UK. We funded 52 per cent (£85 million) of publicly funded cardiovascular research. 

 

The Covid-19 pandemic placed charities in a perilous position with many, including us, forced to cut the amount of research they were able to fund to weather a significant drop in fundraising income. In 2020/21 we funded almost 50 per cent less research than our usual £100 million average. While we've now recovered to reach record levels of research funding, the effect of this dip in funding will likely be felt for years to come, delaying breakthroughs that can save and improve the lives of heart patients. 

 

Professor Bryan Williams, our Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, said: “Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the BHF has a proud legacy of funding pioneering research that has helped to save and improve millions of lives not only in the UK, but around the world. We’re committed to funding the best research and brightest minds to drive progress for people with cardiovascular disease. 

 

“But relying on charities to fund so much research in one field is unsustainable. We’re in the midst of a scientific revolution and cardiovascular scientists need more funding to capitalise on the explosion of new technology and innovation. We can’t provide that alone.

 

"Without greater investment in cardiovascular disease research we're in danger of being left behind, and it is patients and their loved ones who will pay the ultimate price."

The UK’s first specialist ward to treat heart attack patients was set up in Edinburgh in 1964 by Dr (later Professor) Desmond Julian, thanks to funding from us. In the first year alone, the wards reduced deaths by more than 30 per cent.  

 

Then, in 1976, BHF Professor Michael Davies showed that almost all heart attacks are caused by blood clots in the coronary arteries. His discovery opened the door to lifesaving emergency treatments to remove blockages and restore blood flow to the heart that continue to save lives every day. 

 

Breakthroughs like these have played a vital role in the steep decline in death rates from cardiovascular disease, which have fallen by three-quarters since 1961. But our recent analysis suggests that this downward trend may be going into reverse. In 2022 premature death rates from cardiovascular disease in England reached their highest level since 2011, following a decade where progress in reducing death rates began to plateau.