Sandra and Joshua Hughes consult with Dr. Patrick O'Leary with their children Caleb, 8 months, Kinsey, 4, and Jaclyn, 5, at the Mayo Clinic on June 6, 2013. The entire family had stem cell samples taken for the first clinical trial in the United States of using stem cells to treat congenital heart disease in newborns. (Richard Sennott/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT)
Mayo Clinic puts stem cells to the test on infant heart defect.
Every year, about 1,000 babies are born in the United States with half a heart – a rare defect that requires a series of risky surgeries and, even then, leaves the infants with a strong likelihood that their hearts will wear out prematurely.
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