British Heart Foundation Leicester Centre of Research Excellence
News
Exciting Research Associate opportunity to build research independence in cardiovascular genomics
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) Leicester Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) is delighted to advertise an outstanding opportunity for a Research Associate to join its vibrant, multidisciplinary community of researchers at the University of Leicester.
This role offers a rare chance to develop your own independent research programme within one of the UK’s most prestigious cardiovascular research environments. Based at the BHF Cardiovascular Research Centre at Glenfield Hospital, you will work at the cutting edge of cardiovascular genomics and clinical epidemiology, contributing to impactful research that aims to transform the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
A key feature of the post is the opportunity to work on the flagship GENVASC study—a unique prospective cohort of more than 44,000 participants, supported by a decade of linked follow‑up data and newly generated genome‑wide genotyping. The successful candidate will benefit from protected research time, strong institutional support, and mentorship from internationally renowned investigators, including Professor Sir Nilesh Samani. The Centre places a strong emphasis on nurturing future research leaders and actively supports career development, including preparation for fellowship and grant applications.
As part of the BHF CRE, you will join an interdisciplinary research community spanning genomics, bioinformatics, clinical imaging, biomarkers, multi‑omics and translational science
Blood vessel genes could be targets for heart disease drugs: new study
18 genes related to multiple vascular diseases have been identified by University of Leicester scientists.
This is the first study by the British Heart Foundation Leicester Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) Fellows, published in the Journal Nature Communications.
Dr Fiona Newberry explains how gut microbes may influence cardiovascular disease
BHF CRE Research Fellow Dr Fiona Newberry has published a new article in The Conversation, exploring the emerging science linking gut health to heart health.
In her piece, Why your gut microbiome and heart are closer than you think, Dr Newberry explains how the gut microbiome may play a greater role in cardiovascular disease than previously understood. She highlights growing evidence that people with cardiovascular disease tend to have reduced microbial diversity, fewer beneficial bacteria, and increased levels of microbes associated with inflammation.
The article also outlines how gut microbes produce metabolites, some of which can be harmful in excess, including TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide), a molecule increasingly linked to poor cardiovascular outcomes. Dr Newberry’s commentary offers an accessible overview of current research and reinforces the importance of interdisciplinary investigation into the gut–heart axis—an emerging area with implications for prevention and treatment of heart disease.
Prediction of mortality, bleeding, and ischaemic events in patients with cancer and acute coronary syndrome: a model development and validation study
The Lancet. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)02020-3
An international team of researchers from England, Switzerland, and Sweden, including BHF CRE Investigator Prof David Adlam, has now developed the first risk prediction model designed specifically for cancer patients who have a heart attack. The study, published in The Lancet, analysed more than one million heart attack patients from England, Sweden and Switzerland, including over 47,000 with cancer.
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