The William Harvey Research Foundation

The William Harvey Research Foundation has been a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities since 1990. It supports research primarily in the William Harvey Research Institute on the following areas:

• high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke
• heart disease and myocardial infarction
• diabetes
• diet and vascular health
• kidney disease
• septic shock and organ failure
• inflammatory diseases, rheumatism and arthritis
• inflammatory and vascular diseases of the gut
• hormonal control of vascular health
• bone disease

For the non-scientist this may seem a wide spectrum of different illnesses. In fact several common themes link these diseases. In keeping with the historical context of the work of William Harvey, the most important shared interest is the circulation. Our emphasis is mainly on the local control of blood vessels and the interactions that occur with circulating blood cells. The prominence of this in these areas of research is due to the key role of the vascular endothelium in different diseases mechanisms. The endothelium is a single layer of cells lining all blood vessels. It confers many beneficial effects that help maintain a healthy circulation. The endothelium also controls the local response to inflammation, which frequently plays a key part in these diseases.

Hence, research on the vascular endothelium and the mechanisms that control inflammation will lead to new ways of preventing and treating these common and disabling diseases. Because new insights from one of these diseases are often relevant in other areas, the shared interests and cross-fertilisation of ideas in the William Harvey Research Institute adds value to the research and benefits the whole organisation.

The William Harvey Research Foundation also plays a key role in funding the training of young medical researchers through PhD and Masters of Research Studentships.