Heart Transplant Program

Below are current clinical trials.

Filter this list of studies by location, status and more.

1. Autologous Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells of Cardiac Lineage Delivered Into Heart Muscle for Congenital Heart Disease

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study to test the feasibility and safety for autologous (from your own body) skin cells that are manufactured into stem cells of cardiac lineage to be delivered into the heart muscle to determine if those stem cells will strengthen the heart muscle and can be used as an additional treatment for the management of  congenital heart disease. 

2. A Study to Evaluate Wellness Coaching for Caregivers of Thoracic Transplant Candidates

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a health coaching intervention on the stress and burden of caregivers of patients awaiting heart or lung transplant.

   Hypotheses:  Caregivers will have traits and behaviors pre-transplant that will predict caregiver readiness, quality of life, and transplant recipient outcomes. Specifically, thoracic pre-transplant caregivers report stress, symptoms of anxiety or depression, and perceive high caregiver burden. These factors may be amenable to pre-transplant intervention to improve overall patient and caregiver outcomes.

   Aims, purpose, or objectives:  We will conduct a pilot trial to test whether caregivers of heart and lung transplant candidates who receive wellness coaching will experience improvement in caregiver-related distress. We will also explore the relationship between caregiving and factors such as uncertainty, resilience, stress level, and affect.

3. Donor-Specific Cell Free DNA Monitoring of Thoracic Allografts

   Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla.

   The purpose of this study is to determine if DNA originating from the transplanted heart or lung can be detected in the blood and used to monitor for rejection.

4. A Study to Analyze Tacrolimus Metabolism in Heart Transplant Patients

   Jacksonville, Fla.

   The puprose of this study is to evaluate pharmacogenomic differences of CYP 3A5 in heart transplant patients, to determine dose ranges and pharmacodynamics properties of tacrolimus metabolism based on CYP 3A5 genotype/phenotype combinations, and to assess whether CYP3A5 polymorphism influences post-transplant outcomes including survival, rejection and infection rates.

5. A Study of In Vitro Mapping of Cardiac Tissue Obtained from Patients with Refractory Arrhythmias who Underwent Heart Transplant or Replacement with Mechanical Heart

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to obtain electro-anatomic maps of human myocardium in sinus rhythm and ventricular arrhythmias to identify activation patterns, identify and perform tissue ablation at targeted sites of interest that could play an important trigger for development of arrhythmias, and to perform histologic analysis of the myocardial tissue to identify triggers and/or targets for therapies to terminate ventricular arrhythmias.

6. A Study to Evaluate the Safety of the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Patients Waitlisted for Solid Organ Transplantation

   Jacksonville, Fla.

   The purpose of this study is to determine the safety of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients listed for solid organ transplantation, including heart, lung, liver, kidney, and pancreas.