Research Excellence (round 3)

A team at the University of Glasgow is expanding its cardiovascular research to cover everything from the molecular origins of blood vessel disease to the clinical management of heart failure. This work addresses a critical gap: despite decades of progress, heart and circulatory diseases remain the UK’s biggest killer, and the mechanisms that drive them—particularly at the molecular level—are still incompletely understood. The researchers will strengthen existing programmes while launching new initiatives in discovery science, translational research, and population studies. If successful, the programme could yield new diagnostic tools, preventive strategies, and therapies for two major areas: the molecular and vascular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease, and heart failure. This is not a single experiment but a broad institutional investment in fundamental and translational science. Much of the work is curiosity-driven, aimed at understanding basic disease processes. Past discoveries in this space—such as the role of cholesterol or blood pressure—have directly shaped today’s treatments. Deeper knowledge of vascular biology and heart failure could similarly open routes to interventions that keep more people alive and out of hospital.