Bristol University heart research gets nearly £500k in funding

Part of the research will examine connections between pregnancy and heart conditions

A Bristol University research unit working in partnership with a team in the Netherlands has been awarded funding by a European partnership

The Bristol team, led by Professor Abigail Fraser, will receive £476,620 from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The team is looking for breakthroughs in heart and circulatory diseases research.

It is also investigating warning signs of heart problems after pregnancy.

In total three funders - the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Dutch Heart Foundation (DHF) and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) - have awarded more than €5.2 million (approximately £4.7 million) over the next four years to four international teams.

Associate Medical Director at the BHF, Professor Metin Avkiran said it was "delighted" to be funding the project.

"By joining forces to support the best and the brightest across our countries to work together on pressing problems, we can ensure the money donated by our generous supporters goes further to power more lifesaving research," said Professor Avkiran.

Pregnancy heart issues

The research at the University of Bristol is looking into placental pathology and maternal cardiovascular health.

Investigators have found woman who develop high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy are at higher risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.

Their research show that many women who experience these complications also have signs of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) in their placentas.

This is caused when arteries in the uterus don't undergo the necessary changes to ensure that the placenta and the baby receive adequate blood supply.

Researchers are using data from studies in the UK and the Netherlands that have followed women over several years since their pregnancies to track their health.