Connecting Transcriptomics with Computational Modeling to Reveal Developmental Adaptations in the Human Pediatric Myocardium
Background: Nearly 1% or 1.3 million babies are born with CHD globally each year, many of whom will require palliative or corrective heart surgery within the first few years of life. A detailed understanding of cardiac maturation can help to expand our knowledge on cardiac diseases that develop during gestation, identify age-appropriate cardiovascular drug therapies, and inform clinical care decisions related to surgical repair, myocardial preservation, or postoperative management. Yet, to date, our knowledge of the temporal changes that cardiomyocytes undergo during postnatal development is largely limited to animal models. Methods: Right atrial tissue samples were collected from n=117 neonatal, infant, and pediatric patients undergoing correct surgery due to (acyanotic) congenital heart disease (CHD). Patients were stratified into five age groups: neonate (0-30 days), infant (31–364 days), toddler to preschool (1–5 years), school age (6–11 years), and adolescent to young adults (12–3