Additional Ventures Launches Comprehensive Initiative Focused on Innovation in Single Ventricle Heart Defect Research

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Additional Ventures announced the recipients of five "Innovation Funds" today as part of a large-scale coordinated research effort centered on identifying new avenues to functionally cure patients with single ventricle heart defects (SVDs). The five partner institutions were chosen based on their specific institutional focus on pediatric cardiology and their respective scientific and clinical capabilities:

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
• The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University
• Gladstone Institutes
• The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
• Stanford University School of Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford

While all of the partner institutions will work together and share knowledge, they will also be afforded the opportunity to manage their funds independently – leveraging their knowledge, infrastructure and talent. The group will then convene this year to share project learnings and research data to date.

"Our goal is to provide a platform for scientists and clinicians to test bold, transformative ideas, and then the space to come together and share their learnings. By attracting these world-class experts and incentivizing risk-taking, we believe we can make a significant impact for these kids in a short amount of time," said Kirstie Keller, PhD, Director of Scientific Programs at Additional Ventures.

Single ventricle heart defects are rare and incurable (affecting about 5 in 100,000 newborns each year), and among the most challenging and costliest to treat. These five institutions will focus on cutting-edge research to better understand the root causes of SVDs and to develop functional cures for those living with this condition.

"Forty years ago, children with single ventricle heart defects didn't survive past infancy," said Erin Hoffmann, Additional Ventures president and co-founder. "While surgical advancements have vastly improved the chance of survival for these children, it also means that we must now focus on high-impact research to provide new treatment options that allow them to live long, normal lives."

"No one lab can overcome the complex challenges of SVDs alone," added Keller. "These five Innovation Funds will provide a network of labs to collectively tackle these challenges. With rapid advances in areas like genomics, single-cell technologies and tissue engineering, now is the time to coordinate efforts to accelerate progress."

For more information on Additional Ventures and the five Innovation Funds please visit additionalventures.org.

About Additional Ventures
Additional Ventures is a nonprofit foundation that aims to accelerate research progress and improve clinical care for children born with congenital heart defects (CHDs) and their families, so they can live long, healthy lives. To find more information and sign up for news updates, visit additionalventures.org.

SOURCE Additional Ventures