We’ve been at the heart of groundbreaking local research since the 1970s.
But there’s still so much to be done.
That’s why we need your help today, to fund the life-saving discoveries of tomorrow.
As a medical student in Belfast in the 1970s, I remember seeing young people in their twenties lose their lives to heart attacks, leaving behind broken and bereaved families. I sat with patients who struggled to catch a breath because of their chronic bronchitis. And I watched and listened as those who had had a stroke struggled to speak or walk.
Things have improved enormously since then. But not nearly enough.
Professor Martin McKee, Chair of NICHS's Scientific Research Committee
Making vital research projects a reality is only possible with your help.
Your donation will directly fund a researcher dedicated to projects aimed at diagnosing and improving treatment methods and potentially saving countless lives in the future. Your support today can make a profound difference, helping us continue to fund vital research that holds the promise of a brighter, healthier future for all.
How Our Research Impacts Real Local Lives
Little Joe Degnan from Larne was born with a congenital heart defect, which meant that as a tiny 2-day-old baby, he had to be whisked by air ambulance to Birmingham to undergo life-saving surgery, his terrified parents following behind on a flight.
Wendy from Ballycastle also knows all too well the devastating aftermath caused by heart illness. Shortly after she was diagnosed with heart failure at only 42 years old, she lost her beloved husband David to a heart attack.
Wendy and Joe are just two of over 600,000 people in Northern Ireland affected by devastating illnesses. So today I am writing to ask if you could give your support to help prevent such tragedies in the future.
Your donations are helping to develop a ground-breaking new lateral flow device to test for Heart Failure.
Dr. Chris Watson, QUB
Thanks to your donations, back in 2019/20, we received £137,195 in funding which allowed us to find a protein in the blood and saliva which plays a role in the development of Heart Failure. With
further funding of £85,525 from NICHS in 2023, we are currently developing a lateral flow device to test for this protein (similar to those used for COVID testing).
Your donations are helping to prevent Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) and protect Babies’ Hearts.
Prof. Helen Dolk, Ulster University & Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
Thanks to your donations, back in 2013 we received £253,801 in funding which allowed us to investigate the possible risk factors for Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). We found that supporting mums to eat a healthy diet, cope with stress, and manage any pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, may be important in preventing CHD. Now, with further funding of £98,134 from NICHS in 2024, we are revisiting the babies and mums who took part in the first Baby Hearts study to find out how CHD has impacted their babies’ health and development, now that they’ve grown.
Your donations are helping to transform how we treat COPD
Dr. Joe Kidney, QUB
Thanks to donations from our supporters back in 2019/20, we were able to invest £177,850 into two ground-breaking studies, one of which was the first to identify the common herpes virus, EpsteinBarr Virus (EBV) in the phlegm of people with COPD and successfully treat this with Valaciclovir, an existing cold sore medication. In 2022 NICHS provided £87,800 in funding for our next study, giving us the opportunity to further test, learn and understand more about how Valaciclovir works, getting closer to a possible new treatment for COPD that could transform the lives of people living with respiratory conditions.
