FOR centuries, the heart has been held up as the centre of our being – the organ that captures the essence of our humanity. And with good reason.

Our hearts are the constant companion whose steady beat keeps us going throughout the days, months and decades of our lives. And yet, sometimes our hearts can’t help but let us down.

Coronary heart disease is the UK’s biggest killer, accounting for 1 in 10 deaths for women and 1 in 6 for men. Approximately 160,000 people in this country die from heart and circulatory disease every year, and somebody suffers a heart attack every 7 minutes.

Heart issues are frighteningly common, but that’s where science comes in. Scientists in Oxfordshire are part of the battle again heart-related deaths. Research in the county is looking into a variety of conditions – from angina to heart failure – to try and identify what is behind them, and what can be done to help.

We all know that certain lifestyle factors, such as smoking, drinking and poor diet, increase the risk of heart problems. But for some people, heart problems can be something they have to deal with from the day they’re born.

Nine in every 1,000 babies are born with congenital heart disease. This term incorporates a number of different conditions, from the mild to the life-changing. In recent decades, scientists have made huge advances in the treatment of congenital heart conditions, and the majority of people born with these defects now survive into adulthood.

But there’s still work to be done. Scientists in Oxfordshire are exploiting the regions world-leading science facilities to study the microscopic structure of the heart in order to learn more about how and why defects occur.

The heart is able to pump blood around the body thanks to the contraction of its powerful muscles. These muscles are made up of countless tiny fibres, all precisely aligned to provide strong and consistent beats.

But if these muscle fibres are misaligned, then there can be problems. And so scientists are trying to work out how the fibres form and what causes them to become malformed during pregnancy.

Their hope is that by scrutinising the heart’s fibres, they may be able to uncover new ways of diagnosing, treating and even correcting heart disease.

But for some people, early diagnosis and treatment isn’t always enough. Each year, approximately 200,000 people undergo surgery to replace the heart’s aortic valve.

The valve is replaced with either a synthetic mechanical alternative, or a biological implant, often sourced from animals. But these replacements aren’t always perfect: mechanical valves require patients to take daily blood thinning medication, whilst biological valves have a short lifespan, with 1 in 5 needing replacement within just 15 years.

And so scientists are on the hunt for a more advanced alternative. Copolymers are hybrid materials which are both durable and bio-compatible. But before we go putting them inside people, we have to be absolutely certain that they work, and work well.

And so the copolymer valves are currently undergoing vigorous testing in Oxfordshire to ensure that they stand up to the demands that would be exerted on them by the heart.

There’s a way to go before we’ll see copolymer heart valves being used in open heart surgery but, thanks to science, we’re getting there.

Heart disease can have a serious impact on people’s lives and, because it’s so common, many of us will have experienced the effects first-hand. However, thanks to scientists’ efforts, the outlook for those with heart conditions is getting better all the time. Heart disease presents real challenges, but science is helping us to fight back, one beat at a time.