About the CVRU
The Cardiovascular Research Unit (CVRU) is a team of clinicians and scientists within the Division of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health. We are based at the Northern General Hospital, having strong links with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
About cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the Western world. Approximately 7.6 million people are living with heart and circulatory diseases in the United Kingdom and 25% of all UK deaths are caused by heart and circulatory disease. A person in the UK is admitted to hospital every 5 minutes with a heart attack, with 1.4 million people currently in the UK having survived a heart attack. Advances in how we treat patients and prevent these diseases can have a huge impact on people in the UK and around the world.
Our research
Through a broad portfolio of cardiovascular studies, we conduct research with an international impact. We have a particular track record in the field of atherothrombosis (the commonest cause of heart attacks and strokes) and the effects of antithrombotic medication, but also conduct trials in areas such as lipids, inflammation and other aspects of heart disease care. We recruit large numbers of healthy volunteers and patients for local, national and international clinical studies.
Our vision
We aim to improve the effectiveness and safety of treatments for cardiovascular diseases through bench-to-bedside research.
Our history
The Cardiology Research Facility at Northern General Hospital was founded in 2006 and expanded in 2008 to 2012 with funding from the National Institute for Health and care Research (NIHR), which created the infrastructure for the current Cardiovascular Research Unit (CVRU).
The CVRU works closely with the South Yorkshire Cardiothoracic Centre at The Northern General Hospital, which provides a 24/7 service for emergencies, including a primary angioplasty service for ST-elevation myocardial infarction and open-heart surgery for patients in Sheffield and surrounding areas.
Annually, approximately 2000 patients are treated for heart attacks.
The CVRU has a dedicated laboratory, specialising in translational research, managed by Dr Heather Judge, and a team of research coordinators led by Dr Hannah McMellon.
Our work in Sheffield over the last two decades has led to improvements in the care of heart disease patients around the world and progressively improved the chances of healthy survival. Engagement of people in our research studies has underpinned this remarkable progress. There is still plenty more research needed to achieve further improvements and this is the key aim of our work.
Professor Robert Storey
Professor of Cardiology, University of Sheffield and honorary Consultant Cardiologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust