Un-break Baby's Heart

Around one per cent of babies are born with congenital heart defects – a problem with the structure or function of their heart that can be life-threatening. And although survival is growing year on year, with millions of children around the world making it to adulthood, many aren’t so lucky and it’s still a leading cause of infant death. Around a quarter of babies born with congenital heart defects need surgery within the first year of life, sometimes requiring repeated operations to patch up missing or damaged regions as their heart grows. But it might not have to be this way in the future. Scientists are investigating how to use heart cells like these – taken from a new-born baby’s heart during surgery – to create tissue grafts that would behave just like the normal structures of the heart, growing along with the baby and meaning that just one operation would be enough.

Written by Kat Arney

Kat Arney

Writer

Dr Kat Arney is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster and public speaker, and is the founder and Creative Director of First Create The Media.

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• Image by Elisa Avolio, University of Bristol, UK
• Image copyright held by the photographer
• The 'Supporters' Favourite' image in the British Heart Foundation's 'Reflections of Research' competition 2015