UCL and University of Cape Town secure major grant to lead landmark heart study

In the first study of its kind on the continent, a team led by Professor Derek Yellon (UCL Hatter Cardiovascular Institute), UCT Professor Mpiko Ntsekhe together with Professor Malcolm Walker (UCL Hatter Cardiovascular Institute), and Professor Hans Erik Botker (Aarhus University, Denmark) will investigate the potential of Remote Ischaemic Conditioning (RIC) as a means of protecting patients having a heart attack.

RIC is an innovative and non-invasive procedure using a blood pressure cuff to intermittently restrict blood flow, which could have the potential to reduce the number of deaths from the disease. It could offer a low-cost, non-invasive therapy for improving health outcomes.

UCL’s Hatter Cardiovascular Institute has been at the forefront of RIC research for over two decades, contributing significantly to both preclinical and clinical advancements in the field.

Co-Principal Investigator Professor Derek Yellon said: “We are proud to lead this important initiative and to collaborate closely with UCT and our colleagues across Africa in advancing cardiovascular care.”

This multi-centre clinical trial, the largest of its kind in Africa, will span eight countries and aims to assess the effectiveness of RIC in improving outcomes for high-risk cardiac patients. In addition to its clinical goals, an important aim of the project is to create research centres of excellence across the continent, laying the foundation for future cardiovascular studies and capacity building.

Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement), added: “This study has the potential to deliver significant health benefits across Africa and further deepens UCL’s longstanding partnership with the University of Cape Town.”

Patients in Africa have a higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, all of which can contribute to an increased risk of heart attacks. The mortality rate from heart disease is close to 20% as opposed to 3% in Europe.

In many parts of Africa, patients presenting with symptoms of a heart attack often face limited access to the gold-standard treatment known as Primary Percutaneous Intervention, a procedure designed to promptly remove the clot obstructing blood flow to the heart. As a result, thrombolytic therapy – the use of medication to dissolve the clot - is commonly employed as an alternative. However, this can take a long time to work, putting the heart further at risk.

To protect this vulnerable heart, medics can use the phenomenon of RIC by applying a standard blood pressure cuff to the patient's arm or leg, increasing the pressure for five minutes and then releasing it, causing survival proteins to be activated. These proteins travel to all the organs and shield the heart when an attack occurs.

The team will conduct a randomised trial with 1,500 patients, offering either RIC or a placebo treatment, and then follow up with them after 30 days, with the primary endpoint being mortality and/or hospitalisation for heart failure. The trial will last three years and take place in South Africa, Namibia, Senegal, Mauritius, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique and Sudan.

Professor Mpiko Ntsekhe, Chair of Cardiology at UCT and Co-Principal Investigator, said: “We are honoured to receive this support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and to work alongside UCL’s Hatter Cardiovascular Institute in this transformative research effort.”

Dr Rasmus Borgquist, Medical Director at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, said: “This project exemplifies our commitment to improving health equity and clinical outcomes globally. By supporting innovative cardiovascular research in Africa, we hope to contribute to life-saving care in regions where it is most needed.”

The Novo Nordisk Foundation grant will be held at UCT, with UCL as lead partner.

Links

• Professor Derek Yellon’s academic profile
• Professor Malcolm Walker academic profile
• UCL Hatter Cardiovascular Institute
• UCL Faculty of Population Health Sciences
• University of Cape Town
• Novo Nordisk Foundation

Image

• Lead image: RIC Africa Study Leads – Professor Derek Yellon (UCL), Professor Hans Erik Bøtker (Aarhus University), Professor Mpiko Ntsekhe (UCT), Professor Malcolm Walker (UCL)
• Attendees at the Annual RIC Africa Investigators meeting held in Cape Town, South Africa in March 2025

Media contact

Sophie Vinter

Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 7787

Email: s.vinter [at] ucl.ac.uk