American Heart Association Launches First Heart Transplant Research Network to Address Gaps in Care

The American Heart Association has announced the launch of its first-ever heart transplant research network, a bold initiative designed to transform how heart transplant care is delivered across the United States. The network includes 14 medical research centers and a coordinating center, bringing together scientists to create a national, unified data, research and quality care infrastructure. This effort aims to address long-standing gaps in innovation, equity and patient outcomes in heart transplantation, a field that has seen little change despite decades of advances in cardiovascular medicine.

According to the Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, about 4,500 heart transplantations were performed in the U.S., the most in any year, yet more than 3,700 people remained on the waiting list in 2025. "Despite decades of breakthrough advances in cardiovascular medicine, the system supporting heart transplantation has remained largely unchanged," said Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA, the chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association. "Today, transplant recipients still face serious challenges, including difficulty detecting heart rejection early, reliance on immunosuppressive therapies that have seen little advancement over the past 20 years and inconsistent outcomes, especially among Black patients and children."

The initiative will focus on three key pillars: a global heart transplant data infrastructure, a research network for breakthrough science, and a coordinated path forward modeled after the Association’s Get With The Guidelines program. The data infrastructure will develop a comprehensive heart transplant database enabling real-time insights for research and quality improvement. The research network will focus on earlier detection of rejection, remote monitoring, viral surveillance, and safer therapies. Planning grants will accelerate clinical trials into immune tolerance and chronic rejection, two pressing challenges.

The four-year research grants start July 1, 2026. The coordinating center will be led by Emilia Bagiella, Ph.D., at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Other centers include Baylor College of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Columbia University, Duke University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Medical University of South Carolina, Stanford University, University of California San Diego, University of Colorado Denver, University of Pennsylvania, University of Utah, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

"By bringing together this exceptional data, research and clinical expertise, the Heart Association can help accelerate discoveries and translate them into better care for every patient, no matter who they are or where they live," Jessup said. "With this ambitious effort, the American Heart Association is taking a critical step toward modernizing heart transplant care, ensuring that innovation in this field finally catches up with the rest of cardiovascular medicine."

The Association has funded more than $6.1 billion in cardiovascular research since 1949, making it the largest non-profit supporter of heart and brain health research in the U.S. This initiative represents hope for patients and families navigating life after a heart transplant, promising safer treatments and more personalized care.