A new collaboration between the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Australia and the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco aims to revolutionize the treatment of childhood heart defects using artificial intelligence and stem cell technology. The initiative comes as health statistics show that heart defects affect approximately 40,000 babies born in the United States each year, or one child every 15 minutes.
The research program, called “Decoding Broken Hearts,” combines MCRI’s advanced stem cell technologies with Gladstone Institutes’ artificial intelligence capabilities to develop personalized treatments for young patients with heart conditions.
Professor Enzo Porrello, who leads the research at MCRI, has developed groundbreaking techniques for studying heart tissue. “We can produce thousands of these miniature human heart tissues from stem cells every week,” Porrello said. The research team uses artificial intelligence to analyze the extensive data generated from these experiments to identify the underlying causes of heart disease and predict patient responses to specific treatments.
In 2017 Porrello and his colleagues created the most advanced 3D model of human heart tissue which allowed them to reproduce the heart in a miniature form in a Petri dish.
Potential Impact
The current reality for many children with heart defects often involves multiple surgeries and the possibility of heart transplants. Katie Blue-Pugh, now 34, was born with a single ventricle and has undergone several procedures throughout her life. “My lips were blue, my nails were blue, my oxygen saturation was at 60%, it’s supposed to be above 90%,” Blue-Pugh explained to the NY Post.
The research initiative offers hope for families like the Mallisons, whose children both face heart conditions. Their daughter Amelia received a heart transplant at age three after being diagnosed with LVNC cardiomyopathy. Her brother Elijah has the same condition, but researchers hope new treatments might prevent the need for transplantation in cases like his.
The collaboration aims to move beyond current treatment limitations. Traditional approaches such as heart transplants face challenges including limited donor availability and the need for lifelong immunosuppression. “Transplantation is not a cure, it’s really a last resort,” Porrello explained.
Sarah Murdoch, MCRI Global Ambassador, highlighted the rapid progress in genetic research, noting that the institute can now complete genome mapping in just four hours, compared to what previously took three days. This advancement could enable early detection and treatment of genetic heart problems before they develop.
(Photo by Miriam G on Unsplash)
