OXFORD scientists have been given funding to research heart failure.
Professor David Paterson, of Oxford University, has been awarded £618,000 by the British Heart Foundation to study how to repair a broken link to nerve cells that exacerbates damage caused by cardiovascular disease.
The disease affects 500,000 people in the UK and can leave people short of breath, tired or fatigued and in extreme cases make everyday tasks impossible.
There is currently no cure.
Professor David Paterson, head of the physiology, anatomy and genetics department, said the study hopes to research how to stop too much of a chemical called noradrenaline being released.
It is this chemical which makes the heart speed up when stressed.
But when the heart muscle is injured by a heart attack or high blood pressure it can lack the power to pump blood around the body efficiently.
Dr Paterson added: “In healthy hearts, a special messenger in these nerves can tell them not to release too much noradrenaline, a bit like turning down a volume switch.
“In diseased hearts this messenger no longer works so the volume is constantly high. This puts the heart under extra strain as it is continually working harder than it needs too."
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