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Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Innovation and Development

Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Innovation and Development

3D digital illustration of the human circulatory system, showing the heart and blood vessels in red against a semi-transparent blue body. 3D digital illustration of the human circulatory system, showing the heart and blood vessels in red against a semi-transparent blue body.
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​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Innovation and Development (CURIAD) works collaboratively with partners across the healthcare and technology sectors, national and international higher education institutions, and third sector partners. 

CURIAD’s aims are to undertake high quality fundamental and integrated cardiovascular research and translate this research into practice for patient and public benefit.  ​

CURIAD, led by Professor Barry McDonnell, has an established research and innovation infrastructure that facilitates the delivery of innovative fundamental science, mechanism-oriented physiological science and clinical research trials that provide pathways for research activities for the benefit of the health of the population. CURIAD is underpinned by three internationally recognised research & innovation groups, including:  ​

Cellular and Molecular Pathophysiology

Research at the interface between biology and medicine focusing on the pathophysiology of ageing and cardiovascular diseases.

Integrative and Applied Physiology

Devoted to understanding the mechanisms of adaptation across the spectrum of health and disease.

Clinical Application and Translation

Focused on translating our R&I activities into clinical practice and other community settings for patient benefit and public health.

CURIAD has achieved significant success, including securing income from prestigious funding sources (e.g. NIHR, NIH, BHF, Fulbright, AMS, FPVII, UKRI, Horizon 2020, Stroke Association, Health and Care Research Wales, and Wales Innovation Network). Strategically, our 51-strong academic faculty are integrated within a large network of external partners, enabling our research groups to nurture high-quality collaborative research and evidence significant international reach.   ​


National Partnerships:

National Cardiovascular Research Network – This Health and Care Research Wales and British Heart Foundation co-funded network, led by our CURIAD team, has been established to bring researchers, health professionals, patient representatives and others together, to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease in Wales and beyond. Click here for more information on the National Cardiovascular Research Network.

Stroke Hub Wales - Stroke Hub Wales is a collaborative initiative dedicated to enhancing stroke care through research, innovation, and education. The hub fosters communication, advances evidence-based care, and supports stroke prevention and recovery. Click here for more information on Stroke Hub Wales.


Our researchers and collaborations ​

Find out more about CURIAD, including membership, rese​arch outputs, and our collaborations across the world. 


Specialised facilities

We’ve invested in cardiovascular focused facilities and infrastructure to support research and innovation activity.

Our new patient and public-facing Allied Clinical Health Hub provides state-of-the-art blood pressure and arrhythmia measurement and monitoring systems and cardiovascular risk factor point-of-care tests (e.g., Lipids & HBA1c), all of which are currently available for implementation in public and patient education, awareness, and monitoring initiatives. The Hub now includes four clinical consulting rooms, a Diabetic foot clinic, Podiatry clinic, and a Speech and Language Therapy clinic.

 

Our established facility houses dedicated state-of-the-art equipment to measure and assess cardiac and vascular structure and function, respiratory function, cerebrovascular function and beat-to-beat heart rhythm and blood pressure, to better understand cardiovascular regulation. This facility has also housed BHF-funded clinical Trials (AIM-Hy trial), observational and integrated cardiovascular physiology and cohort studies.

This includes a purpose-built integrated exercise physiology laboratory, which is one of few facilities internationally that can concurrently apply techniques such as state-of-the-art speckle-tracking echocardiography, cerebrovascular duplex ultrasound, and Muscle Sympathetic Neural Activity during exercise. This facility also houses a dedicated Exercise for Health and Rehabilitation Facility. Together, these facilities allow the team to embed our integrated exercise physiology research with patient and public engagement. 

These specialist laboratories are purpose-built for research and innovation. They include a tissue culture facility, licenced human tissue freezer bank, chemical analysis suite, and laboratory space for R&I projects. These provide support for core techniques, with most analyses undertaken in-house, including GC-MS, Flow cytometry, complex histo and microscopy, Nanosight tracking analysis, proteomics and haematology, and blood biochemistry. ​

School facilities

Our specialist Health Sciences facilities are designed to support advanced research and innovation, providing cutting-edge resources for practical application and discovery.

Our state-of-the-art sport and academic facilities foster research excellence, offering practical environments for pioneering studies and applied experimentation.

Sources of research funding​