Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a rare but devastating congenital heart defect. In babies born with this condition, the left side of the heart—particularly the left ventricle—fails to develop properly. This forces the right ventricle to take over the job of pumping blood to the entire body, a task it’s not built to handle. Without immediate surgical intervention, HLHS is fatal shortly after birth.
The causes of HLHS may include narrowing (stenosis) of the mitral or aortic valves, or underdevelopment of the aorta itself. Yet, despite decades of clinical experience, many aspects of HLHS remain a mystery. That’s partly because researchers haven’t had access to reliable animal models that mimic the condition during both fetal and postnatal development.
Our team is working to change that. By creating a reproducible large-animal model of HLHS, we aim to open new doors in understanding the disease—and ultimately, in finding better ways to save the lives of affected infants.
Find this paper in JTCVS Open and in Pubmed.