The American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Heart Foundation have announced a second recipient of their Pediatric Cardiology Research Fellowship Award.
Dr. Tracey Crooks will receive a $35,000 award to support research in connection with her pediatric cardiology fellowship at the University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus. This award is made possible by an educational grant from The Children’s Heart Foundation, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to funding congenital heart defect research.
Crooks’ project is titled “Observational Study of the Impact of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors on Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function and Proteomic Analysis at 6 months in Exercise Limited Patients with Fontan Physiology.” Her research will explore whether Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i)—a cornerstone of adult heart failure treatment—can improve skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and exercise capacity in patients with single ventricle heart disease.
“We believe this research has the potential to identify a modifiable risk factor in a patient population historically excluded from heart failure trials,” said Crooks. “By studying mitochondrial function directly, we hope to better understand how these medications can support patients living with single ventricle physiology.”
Patients with single ventricle heart disease face significant challenges, including impaired mitochondrial function that reduces their ability to exercise and contributes to increased morbidity and risk of premature death. While SGLT2i medications have been shown to reduce hospitalizations and cardiovascular deaths in adults with heart failure, these patients were excluded from prior clinical trials. This study aims to fill that gap by using 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in single ventricle patients before and after six months of SGLT2i treatment, compared to standard care.
Researchers will also collect and store plasma samples for future analysis of circulating proteins to better understand the biological pathways influenced by SGLT2i and generate new hypotheses for treatment approaches.
Congenital heart defects are the nation’s most common birth defect and impact at least one in 110 children in the United States. The Children’s Heart Foundation and the American Academy of Pediatrics have partnered through this award to promote understanding of cardiovascular disease in children and to support the next generation of physician-scientists advancing CHD research.
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About the Children’s Heart Foundation
The Children’s Heart Foundation is a national nonprofit on a mission to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital heart defects by funding the most promising research. Since 1996, Children’s Heart Foundation has funded nearly $20 million in congenital heart defect research and scientific collaborations. For more information, visit childrensheartfoundation.org and follow on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
About the American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow on X @AmerAcadPeds.
