Press Releases
Uni hopes to help solve problems of the heart with £1 million grant
Release Date : 20 January 2010
A team at the University of Reading has been awarded almost £1 million pounds by the British Heart Foundation, to continue their cutting-edge research exploring new and better ways to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Cardiovascular diseases, which include heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, are the cause of approximately 190,000 deaths each year in the UK alone. The team of 12, led by Professor Jon Gibbins from the University's Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research (ICMR), has been examining the role of blood cells in blood clotting and thrombosis, which cause heart attacks and strokes.
Platelets are small cells in the bloodstream that clump together at sites of injury to prevent excessive bleeding. When this happens in diseased blood vessels, it can cause a heart attack or stroke which together are the leading causes of death in the western world.
Anti-clotting drugs such as aspirin are given to people with heart disease to prevent heart attacks and strokes, but they are not effective for everyone and can have serious side effects such as internal bleeding. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate how platelets function is critical for the development of new, better preventative therapies.
In recent years, scientists have identified numerous receptor molecules inside and outside the platelet that enable it to detect signals that influence its activity. With this grant, Professor Jonathan Gibbins and his team will seek to understand what effects these receptors have on the behaviour of platelets.
Professor Gibbins explained: "Our aim is to determine which receptors are most important for controlling whether platelets clump together and cause a blood clot, and how the different receptors interact. Once we understand how platelet activity is regulated, we will have a better picture of which receptors might be good targets for drugs that stop blood clots from forming.
"We are very thankful to the British Heart Foundation for their continued long-term support, which illustrates the vital research taking place within the Institute and the esteem in which it is held. We hope our work will lead to new treatments to prevent heart attacks and strokes, which could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives each year."
Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the BHF said: "This Reading team is at the leading-edge in this field of research, and we're grateful to our supporters for making it possible for us to fund their work. Platelets are key players in the lead up to a heart attack, so getting to grips with their biochemistry could open up important new avenues for treatment and prevention.
"February is National Heart Month, when we hope people will think about supporting us so we can keep on investing in vital research like this."
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For all media enquiries please contact James Barr, University of Reading Press Officer on 0118 378 7115 or by email on j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk
The University of Reading's Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research (ICMR) is a multidisciplinary centre that brings together scientists from a wide range of research fields to work to understand the development of cardiovascular diseases, and the underlying obesity-related metabolic diseases from which they develop. Cardiovascular diseases, which include heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, are the cause of approximately 190,000 deaths each year in the UK alone, with similar incidence rates across Europe, and North America, and are becoming an increasing burden in rapidly developing nations with very large populations. Substantial progress has been made as a result of biomedical research in the last 3 decades that has resulted in a 50% reduction in the death rate in patients who suffer from cardiovascular diseases. Please visit http://www.reading.ac.uk/icmr/icmr-home.aspx
The University of Reading is rated as one of the top 200 universities in the world (THE-QS World Rankings 2009).
The University of Reading is one of the UK's top research-intensive universities. The University is ranked in the top 20 UK higher education institutions in securing research council grants worth nearly £10 million from EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, AHRC and BBSRC. In the RAE 2008, over 87% of the university's research was deemed to be of international standing. Areas of particular research strength recognised include meteorology and climate change, typography and graphic design, archaeology, philosophy, food biosciences, construction management, real estate and planning, as well as law.
Standards of teaching are excellent - the University scored highly in the National Student Survey 2009. 87% of Reading students responding to the survey stated they were satisfied with the quality of their course.
The University is estimated to contribute £600 million to the local economy annually.
University of Reading is a member of the 1994 Group of 19 leading research-intensive universities. The Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in university research and teaching. Each member undertakes diverse and high-quality research, while ensuring excellent levels of teaching and student experience. www.1994group.ac.uk
More information at www.reading.ac.uk
The British Heart Foundation is the nation's heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information. But we urgently need help. We rely on donations of time and money to continue our life saving work. Together we can save the life you love.
For further information about the BHF please contact Maria Sullivan on 01892 893915 or e-mail sullivanm@bhf.org.uk Visit www.bhf.org.uk