Discovery and Innovation to Improve the Outcome for Children with Heart Disease

The Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford launched the Basic Science and Engineering (BASE) Research Initiative, under the direction of Dr. Marlene Rabinovitch and the leadership of the Children’s Heart Center under Dr. Frank Hanley.  We believe the field of congenital cardiac care is currently at a critical juncture along its evolutionary path: Looking forward, the next major advances in survival, quality of life, and cure will not be achieved using our well-established techniques.  Rather, new approaches, derived from discoveries in basic science and engineering will fuel the next wave of advances in the management of children’s heart disease. BASE is positioned to contribute to play a leading role in this new era.

Our overarching goal is to address the challenges we face in children with heart disease through innovation in computer science, bioinformatics, machine learning and engineering disciplines, interfacing with advances in genetics, developmental, chemical and structural biology, cell physiology and metabolism.  The integration of these disciplines can be applied to reverse damage and to regenerate young and developing heart tissue, valves, blood vessels, and lungs.  BASE is linked to our world-renowned clinical program (led by Dr. Stephen Roth) in single ventricle, pulmonary artery reconstruction and pulmonary hypertension, cardiovascular connective tissue disorders, heart failure and transplant, and bloodless surgery and to a strong clinical and translational research infrastructure (led by Dr. Doff McElhinney).