Visit with the British Heart Foundation to the Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

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The British Heart Foundation was founded in 1961 by a group of medical professionals who wished to fund extra research into the causes, diagnoses, treatment and prevention of heart and circulatory disease. In just over 50 years we have become the nation’s heart charity and the largest independent funder of cardiovascular disease in the UK.•

In 2014/15 the BHF is funding 37 research projects across the Lothian region with a total investment of £28.3 million. We invest in projects at Heriot-Watt University and at the University of Edinburgh – including a continued commitment to fund the BHF Centre of Research Excellence at the University of Edinburgh, one of only 2 in Scotland and 6 across the UK.•
Across Scotland 680,000 people are living with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The BHF is driven to improve the lives of babies born with heart defects, find the genes that cause inherited heart conditions and to find a cure for heart failure and heart disease. Medical research is at the forefront of our fight for every heartbeat.•

To learn more about the invaluable work of BHF funded researchers I toured the BHF Centre of Research Excellence in Edinburgh.

During my visit I had the opportunity to meet BHF Chair Professor David Newby and Dr Nick Mills.•

Professor Newby leads the Scottish Centre of Regenerative Medicine, which is funded by our Mending Broken Hearts Appeal. His research focuses on how blood vessels and the heart react in health and disease, particularly in heart attacks and heart failure.•
Along with his colleague Dr Anoop Shah and their team, consultant cardiologist Dr Mills has been recognised by BHF Scotland for a new innovation that will save more women’s lives. They have discovered a sensitive blood test which can double the diagnoses of heart attack in women, ensuring they get the treatment and support they need.

It was a fascinating visit and shows the cutting edge research and development happening in Edinburgh South.