RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

How Far We’ve come.

It is our mission to find the most promising research projects; ones that have the possibility to come to fruition and be at the bedside in a relatively reasonable timeframe. Because of our generous donors and diligent medical advisory board, we have seen many of our funded projects make tangible impacts. We are thrilled to share some of the projects that have led to medical breakthroughs and lifesaving procedures since we began our grant process in 2021.

The Partial Heart Transplant

From concept to bedside in a year, The Brett Boyer Foundation has been proud to fund the research that led to the world’s first successful partial heart transplant. As of today more than 22 lives have been saved by this cutting edge development. Below is a timeline as well as news articles for more information.

  • 1/2021 - The Brett Boyer Foundation fully funds a project by MUSC in Charleston researching a new approach to heart transplants involving transplanting valves only

  • 4/5/2022 - Owen Monroe is born with the CHD Truncus Arteriosis. Within a few hours he is in stage four heart failure and completely out of options

  • 4/22/2022 - Owen receives the world’s first partial heart transplant at 17 days old at Duke Children’s by Dr. Joseph Turek

  • 5/19/2022 - Owen is discharged from the hospital and continues to thrive at home

  • 11/25/2022 - Kix Soderblom receives the world’s second partial heart transplant at Duke Children’s by Dr. Joseph Turek

  • 7/2023 - FDA begins regulating the partial heart transplant

  • 1/2024 - The Brett Boyer Foundation funds a project by Duke University researching optimization of and scaling the partial heart transplant

Meet Owen Monroe and Kix Soderblom

In The News

World’s First Partial Heart Transplant Proves Successful in First Year

'Changed the world': Baby boy thriving 1 year after 'world's first partial heart transplant'

Groundbreaking procedure allows heart repairs to grow with children, new study shows

First ever partial heart transplant performed on 17-day-old baby in NC at Duke Health

The Autus Valve

The Autus Valve is the first device of its kind designed to be implanted in children as young as two years old, with the capacity to expand to nearly adult size. Use of The Autus Valve will cut down the number of invasive open-heart surgeries a child needs as they grow. The Brett Boyer Foundation funded continuing research for this device in 2021, leading to the first human implantation at the end of that year. As of today, The Autus Valve is being used in 10 health care centers in the USA.

  • 1/2021 - The Brett Boyer Foundation funds a project by Boston Children’s Hospital continuing research of a prosthetic pulmonary valve that accommodates the growth of a child

  • 12/2021 - The Autus Valve is implanted for the first time in a human by Dr. Mark Galantowicz at Nationwide Children’s

  • 8/2023 - The Autus Valve receives breakthrough device designation from the FDA

  • 2/2024 - Clinical trials begin to study the effectiveness in children from the age of 18 months to 16 years

Meet Yasin Samad

This video is posted for educational and awareness purposes. It is not owned by The Brett Boyer Foundation. Copyright © 2024 New York-Presbyterian. All rights reserved

In The News

Autus Valve First in Human Implant

FDA Breakthrough Device Designation

At 8, a Heart Pioneer

Novel Pulmonary Valve Aims to Reduce Invasive Surgeries for Kids