I am pleased to share my annual holiday message with you. Once again, I’m joining the San Diego community to bring joy to kids this holiday season by raising money for my congenital heart disease research.

Building on our published research in Circulation Research and Human Molecular Genetics, we’re making exciting progress studying the ETS1 gene (Jacobsen syndrome) and uncovering new insights into how it causes congenital heart defects.

Most recently, we have identified two novel growth factors in the developing heart that are regulated by ETS1. We believe that it is a deficiency in these growth factors that leads to impaired development of the heart, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In addition, we have evidence suggesting that these factors might be able to help repair a normal heart that is damaged by myocardial infarction. Consequently, what started out by studying a rare disease may have a much broader and bigger impact on the general population of patients with acquired heart disease! Our manuscript describing these findings is currently undergoing minor revisions and should be accepted soon for publication. These papers and our ongoing studies are the culmination of many years of research and would not have been possible without your past support. Your gift helps to ensure the best care is available for our patients alongside leading-edge research found only here at Rady Children’s.

Please consider making a donation this year to help further my research efforts. Every dollar helps. As always, 100% of your donation goes directly to support my research, and there is zero overhead. I am eternally grateful for your continued support.

From my family to yours, we wish you happy holidays, and all the best for a healthy, happy, peaceful, and prosperous 2026!

Warmest Regards

Paul Grossfeld, MD