Achievements

For more than 45 years, Heart Research UK has funded many of the revolutionary medical breakthroughs we take for granted, including the first ever successful UK heart transplants, and the development of heart valves and artificial heart devices.       

In the last 10 years we have awarded over £10.6m to research projects in universities and hospitals around the UK, awarding over £750,000 in 2012 alone. We focus on funding innovative, pioneering research and often support young researchers on their first steps into heart research.

Heart Research UK’s key Helping hearts achievements include:

•  paying for six out of the first eight successful UK heart transplants
• developing a revolutionary heart valve, one of the most reliable in use in the world today
• paying for the world’s first artificial heart pump (LVAD) implanted into a patient who became the longest survivor with a mechanical heart device
• discovering the link between smoking and heart disease
• putting faith in young researchers on their first steps on the research ladder
• unique and innovative Master Classes for young doctors on the latest techniques and best practice in the treatment and diagnosis of heart disease

But it hasn't stopped there.  We are currently funding a project that is looking into improving the monitoring of babies returning home after complex heart surgery.  It is being tested at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and could ultimately save lives.

We're also funding research into children’s rehabilitation after heart surgery or with a lifelong condition after discovering that adult heart patients leave hospital with a full rehab programme while for youngsters this rarely happens.

Every year we also support two second-year students from the University of Leeds with a grant of £15,000 each as part of a Leeds Undergraduate Research Enterprise (LURE) scholarship to allow them to take their first steps on the research ladder.