UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS STUDENTS RECEIVE MEDICAL GRANT TO HELP HEARTS

Two Leeds medical students will be sharing a grant of £30,000, awarded by Yorkshire based national charity, Heart Research UK.

The charity, which encourages the researchers of the future, is providing £30,000 to fund two second-year University of Leeds students on the first rung of the research ladder.

The two EXSEL programme scholarships allow the students to research aspects of medicine that is linked with heart disease, which could help towards finding new treatments in the future.

This year’s students are Lauren Mecia, 24, from Nottingham and Ciaran Kennedy, 21, from Lancashire.

Lauren from Calverton, Nottingham, is researching a new test which could provide a faster diagnosis for patients presenting at A&E with chest pains and suspected heart attacks.

Currently such patients usually stay in hospital and have their heart monitored over a 12 hour period. The new method introduces further tests of the patient’s blood which can more quickly determine a heart attack – allowing them to be released from hospital sooner if they get a negative test reading. The test can also detect those patients at higher risk of future heart complications.

Evidence shows that this new method will: decrease waiting times in A&E departments, free up vital bed space through a quicker diagnosis, relieving the stress of patients waiting for a diagnosis, as well as indicating where follow ups are needed for high risk patients. 

Lauren’s inspiration behind her research comes from her grandfather, who has four heart stents and her uncle who suffered from two heart attacks, making the project close to her heart.

Lauren said: “Without the funding for this scholarship I would never have been able to commit to such a large and intense research project. I cannot think of a more rewarding use of my time than potentially helping patients and driving the future of medicine through research.”

Ciaran, from Lancaster, will be investigating the strength of the wall of the aorta, the main artery to the heart.

Ciaran will be testing the stress of the aorta wall under different conditions to imitate its performance in real life conditions.

This will provide better information about medical conditions such as aortic aneurysm and dissection, the effect of fatty deposits and cholesterol on blood flow and which aortic properties can lead to disease.

The results of Ciaran’s research into the understanding of the aorta will provide better information for doctors on when interventions need to be made on patients with problems with their aorta, and will help with the overall decision making process.

Ciaran was inspired to do his project after having an interest in medical engineering. He is keen to develop his research skills and would like to contribute to medical research in the future.

Both research projects began this summer and the students plan to continue them throughout the rest of their studies, working alongside their research supervisors as they make further progress.  The EXSEL scholarship will help the students take the right steps into their career paths.

Ciaran said: “The funding I have received from Heart Research UK has enabled me to undertake a project which I find fascinating. Through this project I will be able to develop my research skills, which are essential to my future role as a doctor. I will also be able to contribute to the wider world of medical research, with the aim of tackling heart disease.”

Barbara Harpham, National Director of Heart Research UK, said:  “These two projects by Lauren and Ciaran could have a significant effect on how aspects of heart disease are treated in the future.

“We want to encourage the experts of tomorrow, and these unique EXSEL scholarships offer opportunities to learn in national and international centres of excellence. 

“Since 2006 we have supported 16 of these scholarships with the University of Leeds and we’ve been delighted with the high standard of research that could lead to advances in the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.”

You can also follow Heart Research UK on Twitter: @heartresearchuk or become a fan of our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Research-UK/10733061906

For further information contact Lucy Alexander of Heart Research UK on 0113 297 6205

Notes to Editors

Heart Research UK

Heart Research UK is a visionary charity that funds ground-breaking medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease. 

Having funded six of the first eight successful UK heart transplants, Heart Research UK has been helping hearts by supporting clinical and surgical projects and young researchers on their first steps into research.

Since the charity was formed in 1967 it has funded over £21m on research projects in hospitals and universities across the UK.  Since the start of its Healthy Heart Grant programme in 2001, it has also awarded over £1.75m to community- based lifestyle projects that aim to prevent or reduce the risks of heart disease.  What’s raised locally is spent on local projects.

EXSEL scholarship

The EXSEL programme feature bespoke training in leadership, research opportunities, a network of mentoring and encouragement for participation in outreach community activities. EXSEL scholars from all years of the medical curriculum (except Year 1) meet monthly with the two Directors. The meetings focus on the scholars’ reflection on their achievements, goals and career aspirations.

The EXSEL@Leeds scholarships are part of the wider initiative to nurture and retain ambitions medical students and junior doctors in Leeds and West Yorkshire. With links to the INSPIRE events (sponsored by the Academy of Medical Sciences), LEADERS summer schools, the MBChB RESS strand and ACE students, and the clinical academic training programme organised by Phil Quirke and Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber, Leeds Medical School is building excellence in tomorrow’s doctors.

The University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK and a leading research powerhouse. It is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University was ranked in the top 100 of the world’s best universities in the QS World University Rankings 2014. www.leeds.ac.uk

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