Happy Holidays!

Dec 23, 2015 | Suzanne Ferguson | @suzannerferguson

We know it is a busy time for everyone with last minute shopping, visiting with friends and family and celebrating the holidays, but we would like to take a moment to reflect on all the progress we have made this past year.

We are continuing our HLHS research every day and currently have three open clinical trials and one observational study. The purpose of the clinical trials is to strengthen the hearts of people with HLHS using cell-based therapies. If you would like more information on any of these programs, please don’t hesitate to contact us at HLHS@mayo.edu.

We completely revamped our Feel the Beat event this year to include more engaging sessions and dedicated time to highlight the work we are doing to delay and prevent heart transplants. (Watch the Research Showcase online if you haven’t already.) It is always wonderful to interact with so many new and familiar HLHS families during this event. (Speaking of Feel the Beat, we have already set next year’s date for October 8, 2016. So mark your calendars!)

We’ve also had a number of our team members publish exciting research papers on HLHS throughout 2015. These topics range from patient genomic information to family heart defect screenings and to a possible genetic cause for HLHS.

We hope you also had a wonderful 2015 and we wish you and your family a wonderful holiday!

The Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a collaborative network of specialists bonded by the vision of delaying or preventing heart failure for individuals affected by congenital heart defects including HLHS. The specialized team is addressing the various aspects of these defects by using research and clinical strategies ranging from basic science, to diagnostic imaging to regenerative therapies.