In an effort to treat and prevent rheumatic heart disease (RHD), the American Heart Association awarded Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., a $3.7 million grant to build a center dedicated to the cause.

Children’s National was selected as one of four providers that work to improve children’s heart health, according to a press release. Children’s National's new center will focus on developing strategies and economic incentives to improve the prevention and diagnosis of RHD in high-risk, disadvantaged communities in the U.S. and around the globe.

RHD is the most common cardiovascular disease among children and young adults. It affects nearly 33 million people and is responsible for more than 345,000 deaths every year.

The new center will be led by Craig Sable, MD, the associate division chief of cardiology, and cardiologist Andrea Beaton, MD.

“While it’s often thought that we’ve already beaten rheumatic heart disease, data shows there’s nearly no decrease in mortality rates in low-income countries,” Sable said in a statement. “The disease is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa, and some poverty-stricken communities in the U.S. are hit nearly as hard. We are thrilled to receive this funding from the AHA, which will help us close the research gap for this neglected disease and change the plight of millions of children around the world.”

Much of the research will focus on how to better identify and treat strep throat, the main cause for why RHD develops. Additionally, the researchers will look at acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and the role it plays in weakening heart valves to the point that RHD develops.

“The gap between the low number of children diagnosed with ARF and the high number of young adults with advanced RHD remains one of the most challenging mysteries and barriers to improved RHD prevention,” Beaton said in a statement. “For the first time, we will systematically characterize the clinical, laboratory and echocardiographic features of ARF in low-resource settings, with the goal of developing a biological signature for ARF that can be translated into a diagnostic test and improve detection.”