We are fighting to find answers

We are determined to transform the story for people who have suffered a stroke.

As one of the largest independent funders of stroke research, we’ve committed £16.5 million to discover the causes of, and possible treatments for stroke. Researchers hope this will save lives.

Making treatment immediate

Scientists at the University of Nottingham are trialling a skin patch to lower blood pressure in people immediately after they’ve had a stroke. Paramedics will administer the patch in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

If this clinical trial is successful it could transform the way that we treat people who’ve had a stroke. Our researchers hope this will save more lives.

Treating the untreatable

Lacunar stroke accounts for around one in five strokes and has no proven treatment. It is caused by damage to one of the small vessels deep within the brain that affects the flow of blood. It can lead to long-term disability and dementia.

Our researchers at the University of Edinburgh are conducting a clinical trial of drugs they believe could offer a new treatment for this devastating type of stroke. These new drugs may help reduce the damage to the arteries in the brain that cause the stroke, meaning that there will finally be a way to treat lacunar stroke.

Using broccoli to protect the brain

When a person has a stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain, the clot can sometimes be broken down by clot-busting drugs. However, when this happens molecules, called free radicals, travel into the blood-deprived part of the brain where they damage brain cells.

Researchers from the King’s College London BHF Centre of Research Excellence have been studying a molecule called sulforaphane, which is found in broccoli, to find out if it can be used limit the harmful effects of these free radicals. 

British Heart Foundation support

Have you or has someone you know suffered a stroke? Find more about stroke and your heart, or call the Heart Helpline.