Three Newcastle University Scientists to take part in the Great North Run

Three Newcastle University scientists are participating in the 2025 Great North Run in support of the British Heart Foundation.

Millie Fullerton, 27, Maria Camacho Encina, 34,  and Laura Booth, 27, all study “Zombie cells”, which are prevalent in people with heart disease.

They have pledged to run the marathon in order to raise money for the charity, ChronicleLive reports.

The Newcastle University scientists work alongside each other at the university Biosciences Institute; Maria and Laura study ‘zombie cells’, which are prevalent in people with heart disease.

Zombie cells are cells which are not quite dead, but don’t work as they should and often infect neighbouring cells. They increase the amount of inflammation and cause scar tissue to form in the heart muscle, increasing the risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.

Laura studies how zombie cells may build up in the heart after specific chemotherapy treatments, resulting in heart disease as a side effect for cancer survivors.

Maria investigates if the absence of zombie cells in people aged over 65 could mean that their hearts have remained healthy enough to use in transplants – as the absence of zombie cells could indicate the heart has a lower biological age.

Millie investigates the genetic causes of cardiomyopathy in children – a group of diseases that weaken the heart muscle and disrupts its normal function over time, resulting in difficulty when pumping blood around the body.

The British Heart Foundation currently funds 13 research projects at Newcastle University, with grants totalling to £5.8 million.

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The researchers are encouraging others across the north east to sign up through the AJ Bell Great North Run ballot before its closing at 2pm on Wednesday 15th January, or securing a 2025 charity spot through the British Heart Foundation (BHF) website.

The timing of the run coincides with the results of a new BHF-commissioned survey, carried out by OnePoll, revealing that over ninety-five per cent of people in the UK believe that the Great North Run is an important event to the north east. It further revealed that eight out of ten Brits are looking for a new lease of life, as sixty-one per cent reported feeling unfulfilled in their personal life.

BHF wants to combat this feeling through encouraging others to sign up for the Great Run events – including its main and most popular event, the Great North Run.

Dan Geneen, Head of Fundraising at the British Heart Foundation, said to ChronicleLive: “Doing something out of your comfort zone can have many benefits from increased confidence to a greater sense of fulfilment. This is especially true if you’re doing something that positively impacts other people as well as yourself. You are never too old to try something new – if you don’t take the plunge, you will never know the benefits.”

Millie also reported to ChronicleLive: “The atmosphere in Newcastle for the GNR weekend is amazing, and I feel very honoured to be running for the BHF as we get to see first-hand where the funding goes and how important the research is.”

Laura commented “I’m looking forward to challenging myself and raising money for the BHF as everyday we get to see the difference those funds make. Its great to be involved in the Great North Run because its such as iconic event for the northeast and I know the support along the course is going to be a great experience for us all.”

The Great North Run takes place on Sunday 7th of September 2025, attracting 60,000 participants and charities for a challenging thirteen mile run.