The International Consortium for Blood Pressure Genome-Wide Association Studies has discovered 16 new gene regions that influence blood pressure.

The research, which was co-led by scientists from Barts and The London Medical School, Queen Mary, University of London is a major leap forward in our understanding of the inherited influences on blood pressure and may allow the development of new ways to treat the condition.

The findings were published in the scientific journal Nature in September 2011.

Professor Mark Caulfield, who is also President of the British Hypertension Society, said: “High blood pressure affects a quarter of the adult population in the UK. These new gene regions we report today offer a major leap forward in our understanding of the inherited influences on blood pressure and offer new potential avenues for treatment which is particularly welcome for those who do not achieve optimal blood pressure control.”

In this video Professor Mark Caulfield and Professor Patricia Munroe describe how the study was conducted and present the findings.

• More about Professor Caulfield
• More about Professor Munroe
• Press release: Discovery of blood pressure genes could help prevent cardiovascular disease
• Nature paper: Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk