The Molecular Vascular Medicine Unit is situated within the Martin Wing of The General Infirmary at Leeds. The major clinical interest of the Unit is in the management of diabetes mellitus and its complications and the main research of the Group in the field of vascular disease is a reflection of this association.
Facilities exist for both clinical and laboratory based research activities.
The research activities of the Group lie mainly in the molecular epidemiology of vascular disease with emphasis on the role of coagulation proteins in this process. The laboratories are situated in the Martin Wing of the Infirmary and were upgraded to a high standard in 1994. The laboratories are well equipped and molecular biology facilities include the capacity to carry out PCR, Southern and Western blotting, sequencing, reverse transcriptase and cell culture, a recent acquisition is a gene scanner. The haemostasis laboratory is equipped to measure most of the circulating coagulation and fibrinolytic proteins. The Group is well supported by the MRC, The Stroke Association, The British Heart Foundation and the National Heart Foundation and currently consists of two post doctoral research fellows, five MD and seven PhD students in addition to technical members of staff.