Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit (BRU), at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, is part of a multi-million pound scheme to prevent, diagnose and treat ill-health and is one of 16 BRUs around England funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), a strategic research funding body within the NHS. The Glenfield Unit is a partnership between the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. In the film Professor Nilesh Samani and Professor Bryan Williams discuss how the Leicester Cardiovascular BRU differs from the other BRUs. It is aimed at improving the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of coronary heart disease and hypertension (high blood pressure). It provides an infrastructure — people, space and equipment — which allows researchers to complete challenging or complex projects in these conditions. In addition, the BRU hosts a dedicated research database, the first of its kind in the UK, which is linked to a collection of blood samples from patient volunteers who have made their medical records available to researchers. For more information about Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit see: www2.le.ac.uk
