In April 2025, Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) held its first ‘Friends of MCRI’ event in New York City at Old Mates, a uniquely Australian venue co-founded by MCRI Global Advisory Board member Nick Stone. The event brought together a large group of Australian expatriates and their extended networks to spotlight MCRI’s “Decoding Broken Hearts” initiative, led by Professor Enzo Porrello.

Enzo and Nick held a fireside chat focused on the urgency of addressing congenital heart disease, which affects 1 in 100 live births—equating to one child born with a heart defect every 15 minutes in the US. 

Despite progress in surgical interventions, Enzo emphasised the lack of therapies targeting the root causes of the disease. The initiative aims to leverage stem cell technologies and advanced AI, in collaboration with Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, to develop early, targeted treatments.

MCRI is seeking an additional USD$4 million to advance this research.

Image: Professor Enzo Porrello speaks with Global Advisory Board member Nicholas Stone at Old Mates.

The event was kindly supported by MCRI’s US based partners including Goldman Sachs, Formstack, and Asensa Advisors, and attended by Global Advisory Board members Nick Stone, David Calvert-Jones and Sarah Harden.

The event was covered by Page Six in the New York Post.

Read more about Decoding Broken Hearts.