By Malavika Pillai
Date published: 11/12/2023
Heart Research UK is today publishing a statement of intent signalling our support for the introduction of dedicated sex and gender policies for biomedical, health and care research in the UK. We join with organisations across the UK medical research sector to publish this statement, which was produced in collaboration with The George Institute for Global Health’s Medical Science Sex and Gender Equity (MESSAGE) project.
High-quality, reproducible, and inclusive medical research requires consideration of sex and gender at every stage, from study design and participant recruitment to data analysis and transparent reporting of results. Sex and gender influence the conditions people develop, the symptoms they experience, the treatment they receive, and their overall outcomes. In the instance of cardiovascular research, it has been highlighted that women have a 50% higher chance of receiving the wrong initial diagnosis after a heart attack. This means they are less likely than men to promptly receive the life-saving treatments they need and are about half as likely as men to receive recommended heart attack treatments. This means that women with heart disease are dying unnecessarily from heart attacks and have worse outcomes than men because they are less likely to receive the care and treatment they need.
The current evidence base has relied on studies conducted primarily on male cells, animals and people, contributing to persisting standards of worse care and worse outcomes for cis women and sex- and gender-diverse people. Understanding sex and gender differences, as well as where similarities exist, is therefore essential to ensure that treatment and care is safe and effective for all people.
In contrast to other high-income countries – notably Canada, the United States and European nations under Horizon Europe – the UK has no standard, unified guidance for researchers about how to consider sex dimensions in cell and animal studies, and sex and gender dimensions in human studies. To address this need, Heart Research UK has collaborated with the project to co-design a sex and gender policy framework for UK research funders. We are working alongside the wider sector – including research funders, regulators, researchers, patient and public groups, academic publishers, and the Department of Health and Social Care – to develop priorities for change in this space and discuss how sex and gender policies should be best implemented. We welcome the launch of this framework in 2024, which sets a new gold standard for research in the UK and will ensure cohesion in requirements made of researchers going forwards.
Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive at Heart Research UK, said:
“The introduction of dedicated sex and gender policies for biomedical, health and care research in the UK is important to ensure that sex and gender are considered in every stage across research and health projects and represents a significant opportunity to improve research practices going forward. We are proud to be involved in this work and pleased so many organisations are offering their support.”
Robyn Norton, Founding Director of The George Institute, Professor of Global Health at Imperial College London and co-principal investigator on the MESSAGE project, said:
“We are delighted to see so many members of the UK research sector express their commitment to improving scientific rigour and equity in biomedical, health and care research. Today marks a huge advance for the UK research community, which will help provide the most effective evidence to improve outcomes for all patients.”
Heart Research UK has so far committed to delivering a national awareness campaign; HER Disease, encouraging women to recognise the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. Going forwards, Heart Research UK plans to focus its attentions on delivering a follow up campaign that will aim to promote women’s participation in clinical trials and expel the myths that currently surround them.
You can find out more about the MESSAGE project at www.messageproject.co.uk or on X at @MESSAGE_TGI
