This Research Topic will honor the work of the late Adrian Chester. He was a Pharmacologist and bio-engineer and has dedicated his life to promoting the field of congenital cardiac diseases and heart valve tissue engineering with Prof. Magdi Yacoub. We strongly encourage the submission of articles from colleagues and researchers who have collaborated with Dr. Chester in the past, however, we will also consider manuscripts from other authors. We would particularly like articles to cite Dr. Chester's work wherever appropriate.

Mitral valve (MV) diseases include a broad spectrum of manifestations including prolapse of the leaflets, degeneration, and even calcification of their annulus. Various cell types from diverse embryonic origins and biological processes are involved in the remodeling of the leaflets in these diseases. Decades of genetic investigation uncovered a few genes that mostly account for mitral valve prolapse. However, the etiology of the majority of these diseases remains unexplained. Malformations as well as dysfunction of MV occur during both fetal and adult life. This suggests both a developmental and an acquired origin (i.e., acquired pathologies such as diabetes as well as environmental factors).

Besides MV replacement and repair, which has progressed toward minimally invasive heart surgery (i.e. transcatheter interventions), very few therapeutic options are in the clinical arena of MV diseases. Therefore, it appears essential to increase our understanding of both the biology and the origins of MV diseases to uncover potential pharmacological targets.

While transcatheter surgery has increased the demand for high-quality imaging of the MV and a better diagnostic of the various aspects of the disease, still progress can be made with the emergence of artificial intelligence in clinical cardiology.

In this research section, we would like to create a discussion on current progress in MV biology and pathologies from embryonic to adult life as well as clinical management of the multiple features of the disease.
We would welcome submissions about the following topics though not limited to:
- Biology of embryonic and adult MV
- Origins of MV diseases (genetics, environmental, and others)
- Role of the immune cells in MV disease, inflammatory origin of the disease (Rheumatic MV disease)
- Cardiovascular pathologies impacting MV morphology and function
- Single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics of MV
- Clinical management of the disease
- How AI could improve diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for MV disease
- Innovative therapeutic options for MV disease

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Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

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