Legacies help us to learn more about stroke

Every year the Stroke Association dedicates nearly £3million to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatment of stroke. Our research programme is totally funded by voluntary donations. Your legacy could help us save lives and ensure more people make the best recovery possible for years to come.

A legacy at work in the laboratory

One of the most common causes of stroke is the formation of blood clots in one of the carotid arteries in the neck. Researchers at Leicester Royal Infirmary are developing new treatments to reduce the threat of such clots.

In a previous study funded by the Stroke Association, the team identified an enzyme that may be responsible for causing a clot to form. They are now testing the potential of antibiotics to slow the production of this enzyme. If successful, the antibiotic may save thousands of lives each year.

Professor Ian Loftus, the surgeon leading the team, has very high hopes for the project. “This may lead to important new ways of identifying and treating patients at risk of stroke,” he says.

Part of the funding for this important study came from a gift left to us in the Will of a gentleman who lost his father to stroke. He hoped his legacy would help to save other children from having to grow up without their parents.

Read more about what we've achieved.

Fund the discoveries and developments of the future

If you would like your legacy to fund future research projects, you can specify your wishes in your Will. Please contact the Legacy Office (020 7566 1505) for more details.