HeartWorks brings discovery and delivery together to change what’s possible for congenital heart disease.
We are a one-of-a-kind platform where doctors, scientists, and engineers work side by side to develop new approaches for the most complex forms of CHD. From stem cell science to clinical trials and manufacturing, we are building the full pathway – from idea to patient.
To bring promising therapies from discovery to clinical use with patients at the center of every step.
Today, this work is already advancing through patient participation, expanding manufacturing capabilities, and early-stage clinical efforts.
A patient-powered database where individuals and families can share their experiences and stay connected.
What’s shared helps researchers better understand congenital heart disease and may help inform future studies.
Hundreds of members are already helping shape how research is designed.
We collect a small skin sample to create patient-specific stem cells under clinical-grade conditions.
This work is designed to help reduce future manufacturing time if a study becomes available and eligibility criteria are met.
100 participants have already taken part in this effort.
We are developing cardiac cells from a patient’s own tissue to explore whether damaged heart muscle can be strengthened.
This work is advancing toward clinical evaluation as part of our regenerative therapy pipeline.
We design and advance clinical studies to safely evaluate new therapies and understand how they may support patients over time.
HeartWorks has led multiple early-stage clinical trials in congenital heart disease, helping establish safety and guide future therapy development.
Scientists are reverse-engineering patients’ own skin or blood cells to behave similarly to embryonic cells and using them in tests to treat incurable diseases.
Read ArticleEvery part of our work is shaped by the people living with congenital heart disease – not just in the future, but today.
From participating in research to sharing lived experience, heart families play an essential role in guiding what comes next.
Meet Ben! Every congenital heart disease (CHD) story begins differently, but many share a common thread of uncertainty, courage, and the determination to fight for a brighter future. For the Gaston family, their journey began like many others: at a routine 20-week ultrasound. This is when they learned their son, Ben, would be born with a single ventricle heart. The news was overwhelming, but their love and resilience set the stage for a story filled
Written by, Xavier’s mom, Jackie Xavier Thomas Ross was born on May 28th, 2011. He was perfection. Beautiful blue eyes…and such an old soul. We spent a very stressful first month at CHOP, but once we went home Xavier thrived. Xavier never really did things the way the doctors said he would. He definitely always kept his team on their toes. He had a pretty straightforward Glen, but a few months later, his heart was
When I found out I was expecting in 2015, I like other expecting moms was over the moon. I did all the prep work for baby number three and Gabriel was born in September of 2015. I was excited but quickly noticed a breathing issue while still in the hospital. I was assured he was healthy, and he was sent home at 5 days old. Each day at home his strider became louder and breathing
Lauren Bednarz, now 37, was born in the suburbs of Detroit, MI. As most babies do, she went home with her family, appearing to be healthy. However, Lauren’s health progressively got worse over the first few weeks of life. Her mother’s persistence led to a clinic visit though doctors dismissed her concerns. It was then that her bluish color alarmed the physician during this visit. Lauren was in heart failure and required immediate intubation for
Matthew and Jaclyn live in Cleveland, Georgia with their boys Coleman and Tucker. 12 years ago, on April 22nd Matthew and Jaclyn welcomed their handsome baby boy Coleman into the world not knowing what the future would hold. Coleman was born with a single ventricle heart defect along with a variety of other heart defects. He has undergone 2 open heart surgeries; the Glenn and the Fontan in his 12 years of life. Coleman is
Matthew and Alisa Nelson reside in Burbank, California, with their wonderful children: Edee (13), Sammy (9), and Charlie (6). With two healthy kids, they were taken by surprise when they learned that their youngest, Charlie, would be born with a serious heart defect known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which involves having a single ventricle. As they began to process this news, Alisa, a registered nurse at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, understood the challenges
