Research at the Topolewski Pediatric Heart Valve Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is pioneered by thought leaders in the fields of cardiovascular surgery, interventional cardiology, advanced imaging and basic science. Our clinicians and scientists have produced and published extensively across their respective fields. Recent areas of focus include:

• The fundamental mechanistic causes of valve degeneration
• Leveraging emerging technologies to better assess structural valve dysfunction and repair potential
• Innovative imaging to guide operative decision-making and enable patient-specific, precision valve repairs

This work primarily occurs in the Jolley Laboratory and the Levy Laboratory. 

The Jolley Laboratory 

Led by Matthew A. Jolley, MD, the Jolley Laboratory focuses on advanced visualization, quantification and computational modeling of congenitally abnormal heart and valve structures using multi-modality 3D imaging. The team develops custom, open-source tools to support patient-specific surgical and transcatheter planning in congenital heart disease, leveraging technologies such as medical image processing, machine learning, finite element analysis, computer-aided design, virtual reality and 3D printing. These approaches enable virtual valve repair, stress and strain modeling, and durability prediction to guide precision, patient-specific interventions. The lab collaborates closely with clinicians, imagers, engineers and scientists to integrate advanced imaging and virtual planning into clinical care.

The Levy Laboratory 

The Levy Laboratory is led by Robert J. Levy, MD, Director of Cardiology Research at CHOP. The Levy Laboratory investigates the mechanisms of native and prosthetic heart valve calcification and degeneration, with a focus on the pathophysiology and failure of biomaterials used in bioprosthetic heart valves in both pediatric and adult patients. The lab leads preclinical research into novel medical therapies aimed at slowing valve degeneration in children, addressing a major unmet need in pediatric valve care. Recent patient blood–based studies, including platelet testing and cell culture disease models, support the development of personalized approaches to heart valve therapeutics.

A designated Frontier Program

CHOP recognizes the importance of this research and its potential to improve the lives of thousands of children with heart disease. In an effort to continually elevate care for children with pediatric valve disease, CHOP has made a significant investment in this program, designating it a Frontier Program. Frontier Programs are trailblazing initiatives that will forge important new discoveries, deliver novel therapies and redefine the future of pediatric medicine.

Selected publications

• Marro, M, Kossar AP, Xue Y, Frasca A, Levy RJ, Ferrari G, Noncalcific Mechanisms of Bioprosthetic Structural Valve Degeneration. J Am Heart Assoc. 2021;10:e018921. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.120.018921.
• C.A. Rock, S. Keeney, A. Zakharchenko et al., Model studies of advanced glycation end product modification of heterograft biomaterials: The effects of in vitro glucose, glyoxal, and serum albumin on collagen structure and mechanical properties, Acta Biomaterialia, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2020.12.053.
• Chen JM, Mosca RS, Altmann K, Printz BF, Targoff K, Mazzeo PA, Quaegebeur JM.  Early and Medium Term Results With Repair of Ebstein Anomaly. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2004;127(4):990-9.
• Chen JM, Glickstein JS, Margossian R, Phillips AB, Mercando ML, Hellenbrand WE, Mosca RS, Quaegebeur JM. Superior Outcomes Using a Valveless Technique for Repair of Infants and Neonates with Tetralogy of Fallot /Absent Pulmonary Valve Syndrome. J. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2006 2006;132:1099-104.
• Rafii DY, Davies RR, Carroll SJ, Quaegebeur JM, Chen JM.  Age less than two years is not a risk factor for mortality after mitral valve replacement in children.  Ann Thorac Surg 2011; 1228-34.
• Elder RW, Quaegebeur JM, Bacha EA, Chen JM, Bourlon F, Williams IA.   Outcomes of the infant Ross procedure for congenital aortic stenosis followed into adolescence.  J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg  2013; 145(6): 1504-1511.
• Sung DC, Bowen CJ, Vaidya KA, Zhou J, Chapurin N, Recknagel A, Zhou B, Chen J, Kotlikoff M, Butcher JT.  Cadherin-11 Overexpression Induces Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Calcification in Mature Aortic Valves. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2016 Aug;36(8):1627-37.
• Margossian R, Sleeper LA, Pearson GD, Barker PC, Mertens L, Quartermain MD, Su JT,  Shirali G, Chen S, Colan SD. Assessment of Diastolic Function in Single-Ventricle Patients After the Fontan Procedure. Jour Soc Echocardiogr 2016 Nov;29(11):1066-1073.
• McElhinney DB, Quartermain MD, Kenny D, Alboliras E, Amin Z. Relative Risk Factors for Cardiac Erosion Following Transcatheter Closure of Atrial Septal Defects: A Case-Control Study. Circulation. 2016, May 3;133(18):1738-46.  
• Ootaki Y, Quartermain MD, Walsh MJ, Williams D, Ungerleider RM. Medium-Term Outcomes after Implantation of expanded-Polytetrafluoroethylene Valved Conduit. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. Annals of Thoracic Surgery 2018 Mar;105(3):843-850.
• Meza J, Devlin P, Overman D, Gremmels D, Baffa G, Cohen M, Quartermain MD, Calderone C, DeCampli W, Facktoury C, Mertens L. Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect Cohort: Baseline, Pre-Intervention Echocardiographic Characteristics.. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. Feb 2018.
• Gillespie Matthew J, Aoki Chikashi, Takebayashi Satoshi, Shimaoka Toru, McGarvey Jeremy R, Gorman Robert C, Gorman Joseph H (2015). Development of off-pump mitral valve replacement in a porcine model. The Annals of thoracic surgery 99(4): 1408-12 PMCID: PMC4822693.
• Athar M. Qureshi, Neha Bansal, Doff B. McElhinney, Younes Boudjemline, Tom J. Forbes, Nicola Maschietto, Shabana Shahanawaz, John P. Cheatham, Richard Krasuski, Luke Lamers, Massimo Chessa, Brian H. Morray, Bryan H. Goldstein, Cory V. Noel, Yunfei Wang, Matthew J. Gillespie, (2018). Branch Pulmonary Artery Valve Implantation Reduces Pulmonary Regurgitation and Improves Right Ventricular Size/Function in Patients with Large Right Ventricular Outflow Tracts JACC, Cardiovascular Interventions 11(6): 541-50.