Research in Birmingham could improve outcomes for people at risk of dangerous blood clots

New University of Birmingham research funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) could improve treatments for a potentially deadly condition that affects tens of thousands of people in the UK each year.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot in one of the deep veins, usually in the leg. It must be treated quickly, as there is a risk the clot will travel to the lungs and block a blood vessel. This is known as a pulmonary embolism and, if left untreated, can lead to death.

There are at least 60,000 cases of DVT in the UK each year, but researchers do not completely understand what causes this condition. Current anti-clotting medication to treat the condition is relatively effective, but can increase the risk of bleeding.

Now the BHF has awarded £630,000 fellowship funding to researchers at Birmingham for a project that could lead to new and safer therapeutic strategies to prevent the condition.

Led by Dr Alexander Brill, this research will explore how large cells found close to blood vessels – known as mast cells – play their role in DVT. In DVT, blood moves around the body slower and becomes stagnant in veins, which causes mast cells to trigger inflammation in the blood vessel wall. But what isn’t known is how mast cells are triggered by this and how this leads to inflammation.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have already identified that blocking the production of mast cells in mice can prevent DVT without causing any bleeding problems.

In this new five-year project, researchers will study how these cells behave in mice further, and determine the substances these cells release to cause DVT. They will then see if mast cells are involved in human DVT, by studying them in people at various stages of the condition.

Dr Brill, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, said: “Our research could offer new hope for the prevention of DVT and identify medicines that could reduce the risk of bleeding.

“We know that medicines, which block mast cells in humans, are already used in the clinic for conditions like asthma. If we are able to show that mast cells are involved in DVT in people, we could move into clinical trials with other medicines that we already know are safe.”

Dr Noel Faherty, Senior Research Advisor at the BHF, said: “DVT is a potentially life-threatening condition that can develop as a consequence of heart failure, or as a result of sitting or lying still for a long period – such as after surgery or during a long flight.

“It’s important that patients are treated quickly, but current medication can lead to further complications. If this research is able to identify a new treatment target, it could pave the way for safer treatments, which will help improve the outcomes of people affected by DVT.

“Research projects like this are only made possible by the generous funding of our supporters, who are helping us in our aim to beat the heartbreak caused by heart and circulatory conditions forever.”

The BHF currently funds around £13 million of research at the University of Birmingham. The charity recently awarded the university a £1 million Accelerator Award to boost its ground-breaking research into heart and circulatory conditions.

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For more information or to request interviews, please contact:

1. Emma McKinney, Media Relations & Communications Manager in the University of Birmingham Press Office, at [email protected] or +44 0121 414 6681.

2. Lee Kettle from the BHF Media Team on 07741 908365 or email [email protected]

Notes to Editors

• The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.
• The Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences is a world-leading centre for research into cardiovascular conditions including atrial fibrillation, heart failure and thrombosis/thrombo-inflammation, as well as vascular biology.
• With donations from the public, the British Heart Foundation funds ground-breaking research that will get us closer than ever to a world free from the fear of heart and circulatory diseases. A world where broken hearts are mended, where millions more people survive a heart attack, where the number of people dying from or disabled by a stroke is slashed in half. A world where people affected by heart and circulatory diseases get the support they need. And a world of cures and treatments we can’t even imagine today. We are backing the best ideas, the brightest minds and the biggest ambitions – because that’s how we’ll beat heartbreak forever.