Heart disease

Doctors and departments

Mayo Clinic healthcare professionals actively study conditions of the heart, arteries and veins, called cardiovascular diseases, in laboratory and clinical research programs. They also study new diagnostic tests and treatments for heart disease.

Topics of research have included:

• Genetic risk factors for different types of heart disease.
• The role of gene therapy as a treatment for heart disease.
• The use of molecular imaging methods for early detection of arterial atherosclerosis.

Some research programs include:

• Structural Heart Disease Program. This program focuses on congenital heart disease, pericardial disease and valvular heart disease, among other cardiovascular conditions.
• Heart Rhythm Disease Program. This program looks at several areas related to irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias. Healthcare professionals in this program research treatment approaches to sudden cardiac death and atrial fibrillation, as well as the effectiveness of different types of cardiac devices.
• Preventive Cardiology Program. The goal of this program is to increase understanding and education about heart disease prevention. It encourages preventive care, including precision medicine through genomics and bioinformatics and using novel tools for phenotyping.

You may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial conducted at Mayo Clinic. Read more about research in the Cardiovascular Research Center.

See a list of publications about heart disease by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.