Basic & Translational Cardiovascular Research | Overview
The Basic and Translational Cardiovascular Research Program of the Department of Cardiology relentlessly pursues cutting-edge research and novel therapies to improve patient outcomes, reassure families, and move science forward for children with heart disease everywhere. The Department has a long history of innovation — From the first child’s heart surgery 80 years ago to the first cardiac fetal intervention 60 years later, Boston Children’s Heart Center has shaped and reshaped pediatric heart care the world over.
With a deep bench of cardiovascular researchers, we have a world-class program in discovery and translational science that strives to change the paradigm of care for young heart patients. As we look to the future, we know that redoubling our efforts around cardiac research will only be more critical, as new technologies and insights lead to better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of heart disease and give us new tools to save and improve children’s lives.
Current research efforts
Current research efforts include:
- Understanding the genetic basis of congenital heart disease
- Accelerating therapeutic development through engineered human induced pluripotent stem cell models of cardiovascular disease
- Using novel insights into the pathogenesis of inherited heart diseases such as Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia, and Barth Syndrome to pioneer new therapies
- Augmenting the regenerative capacity of the heart
- Developing oxygen-carrying nanoparticles to enhance outcome from cardiac arrest
Explore our research
Bezzerides Research Group
The Bezzerides Research Group is focused on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of arrhythmia for improved clinical care and novel therapeutic development.
Burns Lab
The Burns Lab uses zebrafish as a model organism to understand how the cardiovascular system is established during development and how it efficiently regenerates following injury during adulthood.
Center for Advancing Therapeutic Discovery (CAT-D)
CAT-D’s mission is to develop microphysiological systems and use them for pre-clinical therapeutic discovery.
Chen Lab
The Chen Lab is a computational biology group to study epigenetic regulation of cell identity, with a focus on cardiovascular development and diseases.
Pu Lab
The Pu Lab seeks to understand fundamental mechanisms that control normal cardiovascular development and function, and how they go awry in cardiovascular disease.
Translational Research Lab
The Translational Research Lab seeks to improve the standard of care in pediatric and adult cardiovascular critical care medicine.
Zhang Lab
The Zhang Lab studies endothelial cell identity and cardiac diseases linked to loss of endothelial cell identity.
Contact us
For more information or to learn how you can support our the research program’s efforts, contact us.