Dr Alicia D’Souza secures £1.7M grant to explore gene therapy for heart diseases

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Dr. Alicia D’Souza’s NHLI team has received £1.7M to explore gene therapy for treating heart electrical wiring issues in a innovative study.

Dr Alicia D’Souza’s (NHLI) team has won funding from a European partnership funding scheme that supports mid-career researchers investigating heart and circulatory diseases.

Dr Alicia D’Souza said: “As a BHF Intermediate Fellow, this is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with leading mid-career researchers based in Europe. It allows us to take the vital next steps in assessing the potential for gene therapy to repair dysfunctional conduction in heart failure.”

The funding, from the British Heart Foundation, Dutch Heart Foundation, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research and Lefoulon-Delalande Foundation, aims to encourage mid-career researchers across the four countries to share knowledge and resources. The latest grants amount to just over €5 million (approx. £4.2 million) for two teams.

Dr D’Souza’s project has been awarded £1.7mn to investigate whether gene therapy can repair issues with the heart’s electrical wiring system. Her three-phase project will investigate the therapy in mice, pigs and in human heart tissue collected from three centres, including Imperial.

"It allows us to take the vital next steps in assessing the potential for gene therapy to repair dysfunctional conduction in heart failure"

Professor Manuel Mayr, Co-director of Imperial's BHF Centre of Research Excellence said of the achievement, "I warmly congratulate Alicia D’Souza on being awarded this prestigious international award supporting mid-career cardiovascular researchers. At Imperial’s BHF Centre of Research Excellence, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of cardiovascular research leaders. Alicia’s success sets a stellar example and will no doubt inspire other mid-career researchers within NHLI to seek international collaborations."