Award Supports Investigation into Blood Vessel Damage caused by Covid-19

Following the award of £133,000 by national charity Heart Research UK, University of Dundee are investigating how Covid-19 damages blood vessels in a project that will be led by Faisel Khan, Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences at Dundee’s School of Medicine. Professor Khan and his team believe that abnormal activation neutrophils, a type of white blood cell mportant in the body’s immune response, might be linked with Covid-19 and cause damage to the blood vessels.

Professor Khan said, “As Covid-19 is still a relatively new disease, we are still trying to understand how it affects the body. We know that people with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions are more likely to suffer from serious complications, and that Covid-19 itself can damage the heart and blood vessels.

“With this project, we hope to be able to better understand why and how Covid-19 damages the cardiovascular system, and hope to find new ways to prevent or reduce that damage, improving outcomes and quality of life for patients.

“We are very grateful to Heart Research UK for supporting this exciting research.”

Recent research has shown that drug treatment to reduce the abnormal activation of neutrophils can improve the symptoms of patients who have bronchiectasis, a lung disease caused by inflammation.

The project will explore whether abnormally high activation of neutrophils is responsible for long term damage to the endothelium and small blood vessels in Covid-19 patients, over a period of 12 months.  It will also examine whether reducing activation of neutrophils with drug treatment reduces damage to the endothelium and improves the function of the blood vessels.

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said, “We are delighted to be supporting the work of Professor Khan and his team, whose research is vital in understanding how we are being affected by one of biggest health challenges we have ever faced.

“For some time, it has been known that Covid-19 can have long-lasting effects on the heart. Through this research, we hope to be able to better understand how this damage occurs, and how we can hopefully improve outcomes for patients.

“Heart Research UK grants are all about helping patients. They aim to bring the latest developments to those who need them, as soon as possible. The dedication we see from UK researchers is both encouraging and inspiring, and we at Heart Research UK are proud to be part of it.”

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