Research impact

A UK-wide project looking at the impact of exposure to indoor and outdoor pollution during pregnancy on baby development and child health.

We are using this information to help build capacity to conduct genome wide studies of congenital heart disease in low- and middle-income countries and improve early diagnosis in these settings. The early detection of congenital heart disease allows for greatly improved clinical outcomes and reduces the risk of complications arising later in life.

A new genetic test to identify gene mutations that could reduce the effectiveness of a drug commonly prescribed after ischaemic stroke.

Our researchers are aiming to learn more about the effects of polyaromatic hydrocarbon pollutants on our health.

Our researchers have identified an important role for two proteins in the blood vessels of the brain which appear to be linked to the development of brain injury in Alzheimer’s disease and offer the prospect of new treatments for this condition.

Manchester researchers have also developed a toolkit that enables healthcare professionals to appropriately evaluate new and unmet needs of patients who have had a stroke and enable appropriate care to be implemented and support post-stroke recovery.

Find out how electrical stimulation is being used to help people with swallowing difficulties following a stroke or brain injury.

Our work in the emergency department has helped develop ultra-high sensitivity blood tests and rapid decision-making tools for patients suspected of having had a heart attack, allowing for quicker treatment, improved recovery and earlier discharge.

Our researchers have developed better diagnostic tests for pre-eclampsia, a potentially serious condition occurring in pregnancy that can affect both the mother and baby, and are assessing new treatment options to reduce the risk of complications.

Researchers have developed more accurate computer models of blood flow through vessels and across heart valves. These will help improve surgical approaches to correcting blood vessel and heart valve disorders and enable clinicians to better interpret MRI images.

Using large patient datasets, we are developing tools to enable GPs to identify which patients are at greatest risk of developing heart and circulatory disease as a consequence of their diabetes, and the risk of future heart attacks in patients who have previously had a heart attack.

We developed a urine test to determine if patients with high blood pressure are taking their medicines, so healthcare professionals can work more effectively with them and reduce complications from high blood pressure later in life.

Our work in the emergency department has helped develop ultra-high sensitivity blood tests and rapid decision-making tools for patients suspected of having had a heart attack, allowing for quicker treatment, improved recovery and earlier discharge.

Intracerebral haemorrhage is a life-threatening type of stroke affecting over 10,000 people in the UK each year. We developed a care bundle based on our research which reduced patient deaths by a third. It is now in use at 28 hospitals across the north of England.

We used remotely monitored health data to identify deterioration in heart failure patients and issue real-time alerts to hospital staff, allowing for timely specialist intervention and a reduction in the risk of hospitalisation and death.

Our research has become part of a public health programme in Indonesia, where cardiovascular disease accounts for 1 in 3 deaths. We developed an intervention which achieved a reduction in the number of people at high risk and an estimated 3,750 people had an extended life expectancy as a result of the trial.

Our research into the genetic causes of blindness has revolutionised clinical practice – leading to faster, more precise diagnoses and tailored genetic counselling for thousands of patients worldwide.

We developed a series of world-leading biologic treatment registers to monitor the safety of drugs used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. The research has been used to influence national treatment guidelines and increase access to effective treatments.

Our research into personalised forms of immunotherapy has undergone rapid commercialisation to deliver life-saving results for patients worldwide.

Research conducted at The University of Manchester into risk factors associated with stillbirths has influenced UK and international health policy, helping to educate parents and save lives.

The UK’s first NHS high-energy proton beam therapy centre opened at The Christie Hospital in 2018. Our research was vital in helping to bring this technology to the UK, enabling more patients to access proton therapy for some of the most difficult-to-treat cancers.

More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from serious fungal infections and around two million die each year. Our research is improving patient survival and quality of life, from diagnosis though to drug development.