Heart of the Heart - What are we doing?

This week we had our final instalment of the Heart of the Heart series, discussing how researchers and charities are tackling cardiac risk in the young, as well as the challenges they face as part of this work.

Tim Saunders from the School of Life Sciences discussed the importance of understanding how our heart develops and how researchers are trying to study it, while Felicity Boardman from Warwick Medical School highlighted the complex ethical implications around diagnosing genetic diseases. Many of us have heard phrases like “gene sequencing”, but Jeanette Selby from the School of Life Sciences was able to show us behind the scenes in a sequencing lab and explain how we are able to turn tiny samples into a library of genetic information. Lastly, we were joined by Peter Teale from the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). He shared his story, how screening can save lives, and how CRY are making a difference to the 1:300 people who have a potentially life threatening heart condition.