Marking its 40th anniversary, the British Heart Foundation has announced that it is supporting, to the tune of £2.5 million "The British Heart Foundation Family Heart Study", which aims to identify genetic variants associated with coronary heart disease. The BHF claims that this is the largest study ever undertaken of heart disease in families. It will take at least two years to complete, and is also being supported by the Medical Research Council. Researchers aim to enrol 2000 sibling pairs who have experienced coronary heart disease under the age of 65. DNA samples from these people will be anonymised and kept in a central "library", from which they will be made available to participating research groups in the UK. The aim will be to identify gene variants that are shared by affected siblings more often than would be expected by chance. Studies of this type need large very sample sizes - hence the need for an effective national campaign to recruit volunteers.