Scientists at the University of Leeds have been awarded £184,000 by the British Heart Foundation to continue efforts to find a cure for heart disease.

Dr Vas Ponnambalam of the university's Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Centre (MCRC) is leading a team investigating how fats that accumulate in the bloodstream can be broken down helping reduce the risk of heart disease.

Heart disease is the most common cause of death in the UK – and most deaths from heart disease are due to heart attack. The inner lining of blood vessels can ‘fur up’ with fatty deposits, and narrow – leading to an 'atherosclerotic plaque'. These plaques can rupture, causing a blood clot. If the clot blocks a blood vessel supplying the heart muscle or the brain, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

The team at Leeds will focus on trying to reduce the build-up of harmful lipid particles, a type of fat which builds up in the arteries, by introducing a protein molecule called LOX 1 into human cells and observing what happens.

Dr Ponnambalam has been studying how soluble substances in the bloodstream are linked to heart disease for six years. He said: "LOX 1 is a receptor that binds harmful lipid particles that are known to cause heart disease and strokes. The interesting thing is that the receptor seems able to 'suck up' bad fat.We will be growing human cells from human tissues and then we will use gene therapy techniques to see if we can counter defects."

The research team also consists of Dr John Walker of Leeds’ Insitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Dr Stephen Wheatcroft of Leeds' Division of Cardiovascular and Diabetes Research. A virologist, Dr Sam Stephen, from University College London, is also joining the team in November 2009.