The National Institute of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute awarded University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill $19 million to conduct the next phase in its study focusing on atherosclerosis risk in communities.
The 30-year study aims to offer a comprehensive look on the causes of atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries. Additionally, the study is examining cardiovascular risk factors, medical care and disease by race, gender, location and date.
The study, which began in 1987, initially included 15,000 participants. The study has resulted in around 1,800 published articles in peer-reviewed publications.
The new five-year NIH funding supports a seventh examination of the remaining living participants, which will begin in January 2018 and last 18 months.