Dr Ricci Hannah and Dr Ryuichi Fukuda have been awarded prestigious grants by The Academy of Medical Sciences through the Springboard scheme, which supports ‘exceptional’ biomedical and health research.

Dr Ricci Hannah will receive £125,000 to help his research into the treatment process for epilepsy. Current treatments require a time-consuming process of trial-and-error to determine the best medication and dosage for each individual with epilepsy.

Dr Hannah is aiming to develop a faster, non-invasive method of medication using a new transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device that can provide more accurate measurements of the brain and its response to treatments, helping to minimise side-effects.

Dr Ryuichi Fukuda has also been awarded £97,000 to investigate the regeneration of cardiomyocytes cells in the heart. Specifically, the project will look at a molecular mechanism that could be a therapeutic target for regenerating cardiomyocytes cells post-heart attack.

Currently, there is no drug for curing heart failure and the inability of cardiomyocytes to regenerate in adult hearts is the major barrier towards its repair. Dr Fukuda hopes that this project can provide the foundational knowledge to develop potential new therapeutic approaches against heart disease.

The Springboard scheme is an annual funding round of The Academy of Medical Sciences that provides awards of up-to £125,000 to help newly independent biomedical scientists launch their research careers and establish independent research groups. As well as funding, the Academy provides career development and mentoring opportunities.

This year, Dr Ricci Hannah and Dr Ryuichi Fukuda were two of 54 early career researchers from 37 institutes throughout the UK to receive an award, collectively amounting to £36 million. The scheme supports a diverse range of projects in biomedical science, from molecular biology through to public health.