BHF announces finalists competing for £30m research prize

Four research projects will compete for a single £30 million award from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) as part of the charity’s Big Beat Challenge.

The shortlist of research proposals includes a genetic cure for inherited heart conditions which can kill people without warning, as well as a soft biocompatible robotic heart intended to provide a cure for heart failure. Also included was a ‘google map’ of atherosclerosis to find and develop immunotherapies against heart attack and stroke, and a project harnessing technology such as AI and wearables to develop a cardiovascular digital twin.

The charity launched its Big Beat Challenge to address what it calls a frightening mismatch in research funding compared to the burden of heart and circulatory disease. Launched in 2018, the challenge was designed to encourage the international research community to identify an area of unmet need and opportunities relating to cardiovascular science or medicine.

Researchers were challenged with producing a project that would clearly benefit patients and that would only be possible on funding of this scale. The BHF received 75 applications form over 40 countries which were then independently scored by three different panels, including patients, the public, as well as researchers and medical professionals. A winner is expected to be announced by the end of 2020.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Heart and circulatory diseases remain the number one cause of death worldwide. We’re taking small steps forward every year but what’s needed is a giant leap, which won’t be achieved by a business-as-usual approach. The Big Beat Challenge embodies our ambition to turbo-charge progress and could lead to its own ‘man on the moon’ moment. I have absolutely no doubt the winning idea will define the decade in their area.”

The four final research teams will be given a small amount of seed funding and will spend the next six months putting together their full applications.

Read about the finalists:

Soft robotic heart: The researchers plan to create a solution for heart failure by developing a hybrid heart. They will design, build, test and implant a hybrid heart that consists of a soft robotic shell that forms the soft artificial muscles and sensors to enable natural motion, and a tissue-engineered lining to make sure all the surfaces in contact with blood are safe. The energy transfer will be wireless. The vision is that this could replace the need for human heart transplantation and give hope to those around the world who are desperately waiting for a donated organ. Led by Jolanda Kluin, professor of Translational Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Mapping and treating atherosclerosis: The team will use cutting-edge technologies to build the first 3D “google map” of human atherosclerosis – the fatty deposits that develop in arteries – and gain new understanding into how and why the immune defence system goes awry and causes the disease. This deep mapping work will reveal new targets for immunotherapy to combat atherosclerosis, and may lead to a new wave of medicines and vaccines that can prevent heart attacks and strokes. Led by professor Ziad Mallat, BHF chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Cambridge, UK

Next generation cardiovascular health tech: The team will develop wearable technology that can be used in daily life to capture more data than ever before. From symptoms and physical activity to heart function and air quality, this information could be used alongside genetic and healthcare data to transform diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of heart and circulatory diseases through the creation of a digital twin. Led by professor Frank Rademakers, chief medical technology Officer at University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.

A cure for inherited, killer heart muscle diseases: The researchers will develop a treatment that targets and silences the faulty genes responsible for cardiomyopathies – diseases of the heart muscle that can lead to sudden death or heart failure at an early age. By combining a deep understanding of underlying genetic mechanisms with new technologies, the team aims to stop the progressive damage caused by genetic heart muscle diseases, and even stop it before it starts. Led by professor Hugh Watkins FRS, Radcliffe professor of Medicine, and BHF chairholder, at the University of Oxford, UK.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani added: “This is high-risk, high-reward research. We whole-heartedly believe in the transformational potential of the Big Beat Challenge to save and improve lives, both here in the UK and around the world. It represents the single biggest investment in pioneering science in the BHF’s 60-year history. In an ideal world, we’d like to fund all four as each one has the chance to make a monumental impact.”