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On 20 September 2026, the Chariots of Fire six-person team relay returns to Cambridge for the 34th year, with the 1.7-mile course running through areas of Cambridge usually closed to the public.
The Chariots of Fire race, which will welcome more than 1,000 runners, has raised more than £1.6m for charities since it was first run in 1992. More than 30 years later HCR Law continues as the Cambridge event’s main sponsor, through HCR Hewitsons Charitable Trust.
This year’s nominated charity, the British Heart Foundation (BHF), is raising funds to support cardiovascular research projects at the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute (HLRI) in the city.
We spoke to Professor Murray Clark, Group Leader group leader at the HLRI and his colleague Professor Xuan Li, BHF Senior Fellow.
Professor Murray explained some of the benefits of the HLRI: “It has brought together cardiovascular and respiratory researchers previously spread all over Cambridge
“Combining our research teams together in bespoke office and lab space has enabled us to be much more efficient at what we do.
“The open plan offices encourage everyone to interact, so it’s been a really productive four years since the Institute opened.
“We’re funded by the BHF. I started my research group in 2009 and the BHF funded me through Intermediate Fellowship, Senior Fellowship and Programme Grant, and I was lucky enough to get a permanent position with the university.
“Fellowships provide the funding for my salary and to set up a lab, so that we can really focus on the research.”
What difference does your research make to patients?
“I’m a discovery scientist. This means I do very early basic research to understand how molecules interact with each other, and cause cells to function differently.
“Inflammation is normally one of the body’s natural defence mechanisms. When we cut ourselves or suffer an injury, immune cells rush in to repair the damage, leaving once the job is done. But in blood vessels, those cells can sometimes remain, causing long-term or chronic inflammation that contributes to cardiovascular disease.
“We’re trying to understand why that inflammation doesn’t resolve. Why immune cells remain in the vessel wall and continue to cause damage.
“My team works largely on two cell types: smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Smooth muscle cells are in the vessel wall which contract to change our blood pressure. Macrophages are immune cells that should only visit the vessel wall to perform key functions, and once they’re completed, they should leave.
“Research has shown that heart attacks could be reduced by blocking inflammation, but inflammation is the immune system’s protective response to harmful stimuli like germs, injuries, or toxins. It clears out threats and starts tissue healing.
“But when it goes awry, heart disease can occur.”
How important is the Charity Fire Race for the Institute?
“The city has a long history of successful cardiovascular research, so it’s great to be able to promote the institute and the British Heart Foundation, to raise awareness of our research and raise money to help us continue our work.
Professor Murray’s colleague, Professor Xuan Li is BHF Senior Fellow at the HLRI. He is a research principal investigator, supported by BHF, and managed a research group.
What’s the most surprising thing people don’t know about your work?
We are studying a new way of treating heart failure, investigating the “cytoskeleton” within heart cells, the internal scaffold that helps cells maintain their shape and function.
“We’re trying to understand how changes to that scaffold can influence how the heart pumps blood.
“Current treatments often aim to make the heart work harder. Our research is asking a different question: could improving the way heart cells function help the heart work more efficiently?
“If you’re working hard all the time, eventually you become exhausted. We’re exploring if we can help the heart function better without constantly demanding more energy.
“I think many people don’t realise we can regulate the cytoskeleton to help regulate this pumping ability.”
What misconception do people have about heart diseases?
“People think it’s a really severe disease, but heart disease can often be treated either with surgery or drugs.
“And there are a lot of scientists working on some fascinating studies. Drugs are being developed to treat the heart. Some weren’t developed for that purpose, but their potential effectiveness was discovered when they were being used to treat other diseases. Scientific discovery can be surprising.”
How has research changed over your career?
“I wanted to be a clinical doctor, but when I was undertaking research in the hospital I realised its real value. I enjoy the discovery and critical thinking elements, which is why I moved from the clinical side to research.”
What fact would you like every Chariots of Fire participant to know?
“There is so much we still have to discover and I want every child, including my own daughter, to always be curious. We need to understand our own bodies, be curious about each part’s function.”
How does the BHF funding make this work possible?
“BHF support is very important because our research is how we build the foundation for the future, to bring the results of that research into our hospitals.
“Our research aims to improve the lives of future patients.”
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