American Heart Association Awards $15 Million to Research Teams for Early Detection of Heart Valve Disease

The American Heart Association has awarded $15 million to three research centers to establish a new Strategically Focused Research Network on Earlier Detection and Delaying Progression of Valvular Heart Disease. According to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, more than 80 million people worldwide are living with some type of heart valve disease, and the condition contributes to more than 57,000 deaths annually in the United States. Heart valve disease becomes more common with age and often progresses silently, so many people are not aware they have the disease until significant damage has occurred.

Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating that early detection and treatment are essential since damage may already be done by the time symptoms appear. The Association has identified heart valve disease as a key focus area and supports clinicians through programs like the Heart Valve Initiative and Target: Aortic Stenosis™. This new research network represents an extension of these efforts into earlier scientific exploration.

The four-year awards, which began April 1, 2026, will fund collaborative projects across three centers. Mass General Brigham’s VALVE-iPROTECT Center, led by Elena Aikawa, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, aims to change how calcific aortic stenosis is prevented and treated by finding it earlier, identifying at-risk individuals, and developing strategies to stop progression before severe damage occurs. Currently, there is no medication that can stop or slow this disease, so patients are often monitored for years until valve replacement becomes necessary. The center will study the earliest molecular changes that trigger valve calcification, use advanced imaging to track active disease, and develop clinical calculators to identify issues before major valve damage is visible.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Strategic Hub for Interventions to Promote Early Detection and Lifelong Protection from Advanced Rheumatic Heart Disease Center, led by Andrea Beaton, M.D., M.S., FAHA, focuses on rheumatic heart disease, the leading cause of heart valve disease in children and young adults, affecting at least 55 million people worldwide, especially in low‑income countries and underserved communities. The SHIELD Center will test strategies such as artificial intelligence–supported heart screening to detect RHD earlier, digital patient registries to connect people to ongoing care, and community‑based support systems to help patients stay on preventive medications. Working with organizations in Brazil, Timor‑Leste and Uganda, the center aims to prove that RHD is a solvable problem through early detection and prevention.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Center For Aortic Valve Disease Prediction And Integrated Research, led by Cynthia St. Hilaire, Ph.D., FAHA, will focus on early detection, disease pathogenesis and treatment of aortic stenosis. The research will examine how known risk factors, systemic inflammation and biomechanical environments interact to sensitize the valve towards calcification. Researchers will build realistic systems to study disease progression under conditions of real valve motion and blood flow, aiming to identify people at highest risk using practical biomarkers, clinical imaging, and machine learning. The goal is to understand what physical forces trigger valve damage and how to stop the process early so fewer patients need surgery.

This initiative is part of the American Heart Association’s broader investment in scientific research, having now funded more than $6.1 billion in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and brain health research since 1949. The Association has established 19 Strategically Focused Research Networks addressing key strategic issues, with prior networks studying prevention, hypertension, women’s health, heart failure, obesity, and other critical topics. Each network brings together investigators with expertise in basic, clinical and population/behavioral health science to find new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent heart disease and stroke.