Cardiology (Audio)

Cardiovascular disease is a major threat to maternal health during pregnancy and the peripartum period, particularly for women with preexisting heart conditions. A UC San Diego cardiologist describes the development of a multidisciplinary cardio-obstetrics initiative designed to coordinate care for patients with congenital heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias and coronary artery disease. The program brings cardiology and maternal-fetal medicine together with other specialties to establish consistent protocols, improve maternal and fetal outcomes, advance research and train future clinicians. As more people born with congenital heart disease survive into adulthood and consider pregnancy, the need for this specialized care continues to grow. Longitudinal surveillance is also helping researchers study outcomes and identify opportunities for better monitoring. Coordinated cardio-obstetrics care can help manage complex cardiovascular risks throughout pregnancy and delivery.
Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41641]

Heart regeneration faces two connected challenges: replacing lost muscle and keeping transplanted cells safe and accepted by the body. Charles Murry, M.D., Ph.D., of USC explains why the adult heart heals major cardiomyocyte loss with scar tissue rather than new muscle, leading to progressive heart failure. Murry describes how stem cell derived cardiomyocytes can be manufactured at scale, transplanted into injured hearts, and tested for function in animal models. He also examines major barriers, including graft related arrhythmias, calcium handling stress, immune rejection, and the need for practical immunosuppression or immune edited cells. By connecting cell manufacturing, electrophysiology, immunology, and clinical trial planning, this research shows why heart regeneration is difficult and why careful translation matters for patients with severe heart injury. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40853]

Deepak Srivastava, MD, explores how cellular reprogramming offers new hope for treating heart disease. He highlights innovative strategies to regenerate damaged heart tissue by stimulating adult cardiomyocytes to divide and converting fibroblasts into heart-like cells. His team develops a nonviral delivery system using lipid nanoparticles and investigates the role of specific gene regulators in restoring heart function in animal models. Srivastava also discusses a potential oral therapy for aortic valve disease, driven by insights into cellular fate changes caused by NOTCH1 mutations and telomere shortening. Additionally, he reveals how trisomy 21 may trigger congenital heart defects by altering the identity of specialized heart cells. Through pioneering research in genetics and regenerative medicine, Srivastava demonstrates how understanding developmental biology can lead to transformative clinical advances. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40447]

Hear about cutting-edge advances in regenerative medicine, from lab breakthroughs to patient impact. Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, introduces efforts at the Sanford Stem Cell Institute to develop therapies that enhance the body’s ability to heal itself. Dan Kaufman, MD, PhD, shares progress in cancer immunotherapy using engineered natural killer cells derived from pluripotent stem cells. Karen Christman, PhD, explains how her team creates injectable hydrogels from pig heart tissue to support heart repair and regeneration after a heart attack. Tiffani Manolis highlights industry support for making cell and gene therapies more accessible. Patient advocate Justin Graves describes his life-changing experience receiving a stem cell-based therapy for epilepsy, underscoring the real-world promise of these innovations. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40705]

Dr. Robert Baron reviews best practices in lipid management for preventing cardiovascular disease, with a focus on statin use. He outlines the strong evidence for statins in reducing heart attack and stroke risk by 25–33%, particularly in patients with clinical atherosclerotic disease, diabetes, or high LDL. He explains why shared decision-making is key in primary prevention, where guidelines vary and risk thresholds are debated. Baron discusses the shift to the newer PREVENT risk calculator, which offers improved accuracy and removes race as a factor. He also explains when additional lipid-lowering medications may be appropriate and clarifies the impact of risk-enhancing factors like family history, coronary artery calcium, and LP(a). [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40755]