A University of Manchester project aimed at developing a tool to predict the risk of a cardiovascular events in patients who already suffered a heart attack has received around £150,000 grant from Heart Research UK.
The project will be led by Prof Mamas Mamas, Professor of Cardiology at Keele University and Honorary Professor of Population Health at the University of Manchester.
With an objective to improve care of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), the project will use medical data to develop a tool that predicts the risk of a future cardiovascular event or death.
The £147,816 Translational Research Project grant was awarded to the University of Manchester as part of Heart Research UK’s annual awards for research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.
Prof Mamas said: “This is an incredibly exciting project that we hope will be able to make a real difference to survivors of heart attacks. If we can accurately predict the likelihood of them suffering another cardiovascular event, then we can intervene early and hopefully reduce their risk.This will not only help to improve their quality of life, but could ensure that patients receive care tailored to their condition, increasing its effectiveness and helping to reduce the strain on our health service.”
In the UK, around 7 million people are living with CVD, and one in four deaths occur due to this. People with CVD are up to five times more likely to have a stroke, are six times more likely to die compared to those without, and up to half of them suffer a second heart attack.
As of now, no methods are available to predict the risk in this group of patients. Development of such a tool will help patients to make lifestyle changes, and can avail appropriate medical treatment to reduce their risk. Besides, it will help GPs to identify patients at higher risk of future cardiovascular events.
“We are delighted to be supporting the work of Prof Mamas and his team, which has the potential to have a big impact on how effective we can be at preventing people suffering from a cardiovascular event. Our Translational Research Project Grants are all about bridging the gap between laboratory-based scientific research and patient care - they aim to bring the latest developments to patients as soon as possible,” Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK,said.
“The dedication we see from UK researchers is both encouraging and impressive and we at Heart Research UK are proud to be part of it.”
Heart Research UK is the charity dedicated to heart. Last year, it awarded more than £1.6 million in grants for medical research projects across the UK. To date, the charity has invested more than £25 million in medical research via its grants programme.
A protestor is detained by the police during a demonstration against the proposed site of the new Chinese Embassy, outside Royal Mint Court, in London. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso. 
