UNIVERSITY of Greenwich is celebrating after receiving a funding award for research into improving treatments for heart patients.

People with heart disease require tiny artificial tubes to be inserted into their arteries.

The tubes, known as stents, help keep the arteries open, which combats the effects of reduced blood flow such as blood clots in blocked arteries.

Researchers from the university’s school of science are working with two universities in France to develop a new stent.

The two year project has won more than 860,000 euros (£740,000) of funding from the European Union’s INTERREG programme.

Senior lecturer Dr Dennis Douroumis, said:”Our stent will have a special plastic coating, which will slowly deliver one or more drugs into the blood stream.

“This will help tackle problems which can arise around the heart such as infections, inflammation and thrombosis, or the clotting of blood.”

The INTERREG scheme helps organisations across Europe work together to share knowledge and improve economic, social and environmental conditions.