15 August 2006

British Heart Foundation announces new round of research investment in Dundee

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has announced a new raft of research grants worth almost £900,000 to scientists across Scotland.

Among those winning awards are researchers from the University of Dundee.

The awards are made every two months by the BHF’s Project Grants Committee, to fund research into the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, the nation’s biggest killer. In 2005, the BHF awarded 143 project grants across the UK, totalling nearly £20 million.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the BHF, said: "This is an exciting round of research grants that will delve into new areas of heart research, and take us closer to finding new ways of understanding, preventing, diagnosing and treating heart disease. We are delighted that scientists in Dundee are playing an important part in our efforts to tackle the UK’s biggest killer."

The grants announced today are:

Grant recipient - Research institution - Grant amount - What the project will aim to achieve

Professor Aleksandar Jovanovic - University of Dundee - £154,293 - When the heart is starved of blood supply during heart attack, it can be damaged, which can lead to heart failure. However, heart muscle cells can survive this starvation up to a point, and it is thought that protection comes via the actions of a specialized protein within the cells. This protein’s ‘day job’ is as a channel allowing the regulated flow of potassium ions around the cell; however, these researchers think it is another part of the protein – not involved in its ‘channeling’ properties – that contribute to heart protection. Here they’ll take a detailed look at this possibility, which could help us develop strategies in future to protect our hearts after heart attack.

For more information about this project grant or to arrange an interview with a scientist, contact Clare Shaw at BHF Scotland on 0131 555 5891 or shaw@bhf.org.uk

Notes to editors

The BHF is leading the battle against heart and circulatory disease - the UK's biggest killer. The Charity is a major funder and authority in cardiovascular research. It plays an important role in funding education, both of the public and of health professionals, and in providing life-saving cardiac equipment and support for rehabilitation and patient care.

Research grant awards in Scotland totalling £884,626 have been made to researchers in Glasgow (University of Strathclyde), Edinburgh (University of Edinburgh) and Dundee (University of Dundee).

For more information about the BHF, visit www.bhf.org.uk

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk