Cardiovascular
The North West has a strong
cardiovascular research profile with world class research groups in
the region's universities and companies working closely with
local NHS teaching hospitals in advancing treatment and management
of cardiovascular disease.
The University Of Manchester Cardiovascular Research
Group
The group comprises a large number of teams looking at clinical
aspects of the causes and management of high blood pressure,
diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia. The group also co-ordinates
international multi-centre drug trials as well as supervising their
own lab based projects.
The University of Liverpool Cardiovascular
Engineering Group, Division of Clinical Engineering
This group pioneered fabrication techniques for small diameter
vascular implants. They are active in a number of research areas
including haemodynamics, endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms,
haemorheology and tissue engineering of blood vessel
substitutes.
Major clinical research groups are located in a number of teaching hospitals:
The
Cardiothoracic Centre Liverpool NHS Trust
The Trust has developed as a Centre of Excellence in cardiovascular
medicine and is now one of the largest specialist heart and chest
hospitals in the United Kingdom serving a population of nearly 3
million people.
The Manchester Heart Centre, Manchester Royal
Infirmary
The Centre specialises in cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology. It
carries out a range of open heart and other surgical procedures,
thoracic surgery, diagnostic angiography and interventional
cardiology (angioplasty) plus various testing and imaging
procedures. A large part of the cardiology activity includes
electrophysiology studies and inserting pacemakers and devices.
There are clinical research programmes focusing on the causes and
management of heart failure and cardiac dysrythmia.
Wythenshawe Cardiothoracic Centre, South Manchester
University Hospitals NHS Trust
This is one of the 5 national heart and lung transplant units in
the UK providing diagnostic services, interventional cardiology
(angioplasty and electrophysiology), cardiac surgery and thoracic
surgery.
Companies with products and research programmes addressing cardiovascular diseases are:
AstraZeneca in Alderley Park, Cheshire. AstraZeneca is a world leader in cardiovascular medicine with a large range of products for hypertension and high cholesterol levels. It has a number of cardiovascular research programmes focused on delivering new and more effective medicines to treat cardiovascular diseases and metabolic risk factors such as Type II diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndromes.
Protherics in Runcorn, Cheshire. The company is developing an angiotensin vaccine for the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension), a major risk factor for serious diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.
Provexis in Liverpool, Merseyside develops proprietary bioactives for the functional and medical food industry. The Company is developing products for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, obesity and Type II diabetes .
Renovo in Manchester is developing novel pharmaceuticals to prevent vascular scarring or restenosis, a common cause of vascular graft failure occurring after cardiac-by-pass surgery.
Terumo Cardiovascular Systems in Knowsley, Merseyside. Part of the Terumo Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, Terumo Cardio develop and manufacture precision-focused products, such as perfusion circuits, for the specialized needs of the cardiac surgical team with an emphasis on cardiopulmonary bypass and intraoperative monitoring.
