May 18, 2016, American Heart Association -- Ten finalists have been selected for the final round of review in the search to identify a leader and team to be awarded the One Brave Idea™ $75 million research funding opportunity. One Brave Idea™ is an innovative new collaborative research approach focused on achieving extraordinary breakthroughs in the fight against the devastating global burden of coronary heart disease and its consequences.

Cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 cause of death globally, accounting annually for approximately 17 million deaths, or about one of every three deaths. Coronary heart disease itself is responsible for more than 7 million deaths annually.

During the one month application period (January 14-February 14), hundreds of submissions were received for One Brave Idea™ from researchers around the world. The Joint Leadership Group representing the funding organizations, the America Heart Association, Verily and AstraZeneca, has narrowed down the applicant field to ten finalists who will participate in face-to-face interviews in late June. The Joint Leadership Group intends to finalize their selection this summer.

This bold approach to scientific research is the largest one-time research investment in the fight to end coronary heart disease and its consequences. The funds to support One Brave Idea™ from Verily and AstraZeneca are the two single largest contributions received by the AHA in its 90 year history and demonstrate the compelling nature of this scientific opportunity.

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Members of the One Brave Idea™ Joint Leadership Group:

Nancy Brown, CEO, American Heart Association; Robert Harrington, MD, Stanford University and AHA Board member; Joseph Loscalzo, MD PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Chairman of the AHA’s Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine; Andrew Conrad, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Verily; Jessica Mega, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Verily; Michael V. McConnell, MD, MSEE, Head, Cardiovascular Health Innovations, Verily; Gregory Keenan, MD, Vice President & Head of US Medical Affairs, AstraZeneca; Bruce Cooper, MD, Vice President & Head of Global Medical Affairs, AstraZeneca

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Verily

Verily, formerly Google Life Sciences, is focused on helping to move healthcare from reactive to proactive. Combining expertise from the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, electrical engineering and computer science, we’re developing new technology tools for physicians that can integrate easily into daily life and help transform the detection, prevention, and management of disease.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three main therapy areas - respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune disease (RIA), cardiovascular and metabolic disease (CVMD) and oncology – as well as in infection and neuroscience. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit www.astrazeneca-us.com.

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