Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death globally: more people die annually from heart and circulatory disease than from any other cause. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that cardiovascular disease kills 18 million people around the world each year.
Reflections of Research, Judges’ Winner [1]Go with the flow, by Dr Victoria Stoll, a BHF-funded researcher at the University of Oxford
The winning image captures the blood flowing within an adult heart frozen in time. Blood flows within the main pumping chambers – the ventricles – of the heart and the vessels leaving the heart. The blue flow is blood that lacks oxygen and is travelling to the lungs. The red flow is blood that has been through the lungs and received oxygen and is now ready to be pumped around the body.
Dr Stoll is using this type of imaging, four dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to look at the blood flow in four dimensions within the hearts of people with heart failure, whose hearts are not pumping effectively. She has already found that in people with severe heart failure the blood flows around the heart in a more disordered and disrupted pattern.
Reflections of Research Supporters’ Favourite [2]Heart cells of a new-born by Dr Elisa Avolio, a BHF-funded researcher at the University of Bristol These are heart cells taken from new-borns who received a surgical operation for correction of congenital heart defects shortly after birth. The blue colour shows the shape of the cells, while the magenta shows a structural protein necessary to glue the cells together.
Dr Avolio is using these cells to explore the possibility of treating congenital heart disease. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, In the UK alone over 4,000 babies are diagnosed with congenital heart disease each year.
The only treatment for some of these conditions is corrective surgery where a piece of tissue, known as a graft, is used to replace the affected area. However, often surgery has to be repeated several times throughout childhood as the child’s heart outgrows the graft used to repair it.
Elisa is working on grafts that are able to grow like living tissue and can therefore grow along with a child’s heart. These new grafts would mean that instead of having multiple operations to insert bigger grafts as the patient’s heart grows, only one operation would be needed. High resolution shortlisted and winning images and related captions are available in a Dropbox folder at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/63wdwyul6oaa3me/AAAKqDRwb7yaE4FFLaN1k5nva?dl=0
Reflections of Research provides a glimpse into the cutting edge research that the BHF funds. Modern technology allows scientists to image the body in unprecedented detail and provide new insights into ways to prevent and treat heart and circulatory disease. The BHF is the UK’s biggest independent funder of cardiovascular research, with an annual research spend of around £100 million.
Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the BHF and one of this year’s judges, said:
“Science relies increasingly on ever more sophisticated imaging techniques to help us to see the cellular and molecular processes that conspire to create disease.
“Each of these images contains a wealth of information that scientists can use in their fight against cardiovascular disease. So whilst this competition is all about stunning imagery, it’s actually the story that the image tells that matters.”
One of the judges of this year’s competition, wildlife photographer Andrew Rouse, said:
“The winning image is simply beautiful. It’s both amazingly abstract and instantly recognisable. My 11 month old daughter is fascinated by it, and she is perhaps the best judge of all showing that this image is simple yet also very striking, which is what a good photograph should be.”
Competition judge and artist, Sophie Layton said:
“Bringing the worlds of art and science together is such a perfect way of to explore the wonders of science and the extraordinary insights that we are able to witness through the technology that scientists have access to. Finding an artistic expression can make these concepts accessible to a much wider community.”
Find out more about Reflections of Research and explore the images at bhf.org.uk/reflections
ENDS
To request interviews or for more information please call the BHF press office on 020 7554 0164 (07764 290 381 – out of hours) or email [email protected].
Notes to editors
[1] The winner was chosen by a panel of judges, Medical Director at the BHF, Professor Peter Weissberg, artist and designer Sophie Layton, wildlife photographer Andy Rouse and Dr Sarah Clarke, President of the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS).
[2] The Supporters’ Favourite was chosen from an online vote on the BHF Facebook page.
[3] High resolution images and related captions are available from Dropbox or please contact [email protected]
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/63wdwyul6oaa3me/AAAKqDRwb7yaE4FFLaN1k5nva?dl=0
[4] All images have been produced as part of research funded by the BHF.
[5] For more information about Reflections of Research visit bhf.org.uk/reflections
British Heart FoundationCoronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer. For over 50 years we’ve pioneered research that’s transformed the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Our work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are changing the fight against heart disease. But so many people still need our help. From babies born with life-threatening heart problems to the many Mums, Dads and Grandparents who survive a heart attack and endure the daily battles of heart failure. Every pound raised, minute of your time and donation to our shops will help make a difference to people’s lives.
For more information, visit bhf.org.uk
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