In 2026, a special supplement—the seventh in a series on “Frontiers of Medical Research” developed by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in collaboration with Science—reported on research that is propelling cardiac care toward breakthroughs that will further extend and improve life for many of the 120 million adult Americans who have some form of cardiovascular disease.
The supplement includes articles by Mount Sinai leaders in cardiovascular treatment, research, and surgery and was produced under the guidance of Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, MBA, Director, Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital; Filip K. Swirski, PhD, Director, Cardiovascular Research Institute at Mount Sinai; Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Dennis S. Charney, MD, former Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine.
The special supplement can be viewed here. Insights explored include:
• Genomic analysis is increasing our ability to identify those at greatest risk for potentially fatal conditions, illustrated by our growing understanding of the genetic mutations involved in thoracic aortic aneurysms, an often untreated and potentially fatal condition.
• Clinical trials are showing that PCSK9 inhibitors reduce LDL cholesterol for protracted periods, providing strong support for this new class of drugs.
• New strategies in care are preventing blood clot formation while minimizing bleeding complications.
• Clinicians are treating atrial fibrillation with leading-edge pulsed-field ablation technology to achieve rhythm control, improving mortality and morbidity as well as potentially slowing atrial fibrillation–related cognitive decline.
• Prevention is coupling early detection of atherosclerosis with education to improve both heart and brain health.
As is the case across biomedicine, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing heart research, allowing us to make earlier and more accurate diagnoses, for example:
• Machine learning is helping us to better identify those at risk of heart attack or stroke.
• AI-enabled interpretations are staging atherosclerotic plaque to identify those at highest risk.
• Trials are underway on remote sensors that can detect pulmonary congestion by analyzing speech into a smart phone.
• AI is helping to deliver treatment innovations, enabling more proactive and personalized care.
These articles demonstrate the unbreakable link between science and medicine that is expanding the cardiologist’s toolkit. Indeed, within the foreseeable future, science may generate breakthroughs that will stop heart disease from being such a virulent killer—underscoring the crucial importance of sustaining and strengthening a robust preclinical and clinical research enterprise.