From patient encounters to breakthroughs in veterinary cardiology

For Professors Jens Häggström and Ingrid Ljungvall, heart disease is never an abstract research problem. It appears in the dogs and cats they examine, in the questions owners ask and in the decisions veterinarians need to make. Those encounters have shaped two careers that combine research, teaching and clinical practice at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

In September, they were named the recipients of the 2026 Award for Outstanding Research in Veterinary Medicine. The award recognises their contributions to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease in dogs and cats, and a clinical and research partnership that has had an impact far beyond Sweden. Ingrid is a professor of One Health with a focus on comparative medicine, while Jens is a professor of internal medicine for companion animals. Both work at SLU’s Department of Clinical Sciences.

Different paths into the same field

Jens always expected research to be part of his career, but after qualifying as a veterinarian, he first wanted to gain broad clinical experience. He worked in mixed practice and later in small animal general practice. An early opportunity in veterinary cardiology drew him to a field that connects imaging, physiology, pathology and general medicine. For almost ten years, he combined research and work at SLU University Animal Hospital with nights and weekends in clinical practice. This allowed him to specialise while retaining a broad clinical perspective.

Ingrid’s interest in cardiology also developed early. She was fascinated by how clinical observations could be combined with tools ranging from listening to the heart to advanced imaging. Only a few months after graduating, she contacted the cardiology team at SLU. It took several years before she could fully pursue that path, but it eventually became a career combining clinical cardiology and research.

Research that returns to the clinic

Jens describes their research as circular. It starts with owners and animals in the clinic, where the researchers identify a health problem. They then investigate how common the disease is, whether it is inherited, how it can be detected earlier and what causes it. The final step is to test ways to prevent or treat it and bring the knowledge back to veterinary practice.

“The way we conduct our research is circular: it begins and ends with owners and their animals,” says Jens Häggström.

One of the most important moments in Jens’s career came when they analysed the results of EPIC, short for Evaluation of Pimobendan in Dogs with Cardiomegaly. This large international clinical trial tested the heart medicine pimobendan in dogs with an enlarged heart caused by myxomatous mitral valve disease, the most common heart disease in dogs. The trial showed for the first time that medical therapy could alter the course of the disease before clinical signs developed, substantially prolonging the asymptomatic stage. The findings changed how the disease is treated worldwide and improved both quality of life and survival for affected dogs.

For Ingrid, the most rewarding moments come when years of work produce a result that veterinarians can use. One example was the discovery of a strong association between the amino acid content of dogs’ diets, amino acid concentrations in their blood and the risk of developing a particular form of heart muscle disease.

“That was a very exciting moment, because we realised that, for many dogs, this type of heart disease may actually be preventable through an appropriately balanced diet,” says Ingrid.

Preventing disease before it starts

Prevention runs through much of their work. Their group was among the first to show that myxomatous mitral valve disease has a hereditary component. This knowledge has supported breeding programmes for predisposed breeds, including Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Similar approaches have been used for other heart diseases in dogs and cats.

Their genetic research has identified variants associated with heart disease and contributed to genetic tests, giving breeders a better basis for informed decisions. The genes also offer clues to the processes that initiate and drive disease, potentially revealing new targets for treatment.

PawPeds runs an international screening and breeding programme for feline cardiomyopathy (FCM), a group of diseases affecting the heart muscle. The programme uses echocardiography (heart ultrasound) to screen purebred cats and support healthier breeding decisions and research. Jens helped establish the programme before Ingrid entered the field. It now includes more than 100,000 ultrasound examinations of purebred cats. Among cats screened, the prevalence of cardiomyopathy has fallen from about 15 per cent to below 1 per cent. The data have also helped establish reference values for interpreting heart ultrasound examinations.

Practical tools for animals and owners

The research programme spans drug trials, diagnostic methods, home monitoring and digital technology. Their group has led five prospective controlled multicentre drug trials involving hundreds of dogs in several countries. The results have contributed to international treatment recommendations for myxomatous mitral valve disease.

They have also established reference values for dogs’ and cats’ breathing rates while resting or sleeping. Owners can monitor these rates at home, making it possible to detect deterioration and seek care earlier. Research linking taurine deficiency to heart muscle weakness has shown that dietary changes and taurine supplements may prevent or halt disease progression in affected dogs.

More recently, the team has developed and validated an artificial intelligence tool that analyses heart sounds in dogs. It can help veterinarians detect murmurs and identify animals that need further examination. The tool has been launched in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, with wider implementation beginning in autumn 2026.

For owners, these advances can mean earlier answers, more effective treatment and more time with an animal that has a good quality of life. Veterinarians gain evidence and practical tools for diagnosis and treatment, while breeders can use research findings to reduce inherited disease over time.

Learning across species

Their work also contributes to One Health through comparative medicine, which examines similarities and differences in disease across species. Many heart diseases found in dogs and cats have counterparts in humans and other animals. Studying them can reveal shared biological mechanisms and allow knowledge from one field of medicine to inform another.

“Heart diseases in companion animals share many similarities with those in humans and other species, which means that we can learn from each other,” says Ingrid. She stresses that the exchange works in both directions: veterinary research can contribute knowledge to other areas of medicine, while advances in human medicine can improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease in animals.

Jens makes a similar point: because the diseases they study occur in more than one species, findings from dogs and cats may also have relevance for human medicine. For both researchers, this is comparative medicine in practice: animal patients remain at the centre, while the knowledge generated can travel across disciplines and species.

A partnership spanning nearly two decades

Jens and Ingrid first met when Ingrid was a veterinary student, and Jens was teaching at the small animal clinic. A few years after graduating, she began doctoral studies with Jens as her main supervisor. He later also supervised her European specialist training in companion animal cardiology. They have now worked together for almost 20 years.

Their relationship has developed from supervision into a close partnership. They share responsibility for research projects, doctoral students, clinical specialist trainees, teaching and clinical work, alongside other duties at the university. Their different strengths allow them to take turns leading projects and to create space for whichever area needs their attention most.

“I do not think it should be taken for granted that two people can continue working together constructively for such a long time, but fortunately we have managed to do that,” says Ingrid.

The partnership also provides a constant exchange of ideas. Jens says they usually have far more questions than they have time or resources to investigate. Deciding together which projects to pursue, and where their work can make the greatest difference, has become central to how they work.

What drives their work

For Ingrid, motivation is rooted in the consulting room, where she sees the consequences of heart disease for both animals and their owners. The worry that comes with caring for a seriously ill animal, and the joy and companionship that animals bring, strengthen her determination to improve their health and prevent others from developing the same problems.

“The patients are probably my greatest motivation. In clinical practice, we see directly how heart disease can reduce quality of life, cause suffering and sometimes lead to premature death,” says Ingrid.

Those encounters also generate questions that medicine cannot yet answer. Why does one animal become seriously ill while another remains stable for years? Could the risk have been identified earlier? Could the disease have been treated differently? Bringing answers back to the clinic is one of Ingrid’s strongest reasons to continue.

For Jens, the goal is straightforward: to improve the prevention, treatment and management of disease, reduce its occurrence and help animals live longer with a better quality of life. The owners, animals and colleagues he has met through clinical work and international collaborations have shaped him both professionally and personally.

Teaching is another important part of that journey. Jens teaches undergraduate students in Uppsala and veterinarians from around the world who are specialising in cardiology. “Teaching is rewarding in many ways. It continually deepens my own understanding,” he says. It also gives him insight into the different circumstances, perspectives and ethical considerations that shape veterinary practice around the world.

An award shared with many

For Ingrid, receiving the award is both a tremendous honour and renewed motivation to keep moving the research forward.

Both see the award as recognition of a collective effort involving animals and their owners, colleagues, students and international partners. They are also keen to thank their families.

“On a personal level, I am very grateful to my family, who understand that research and clinical work do not always fit neatly into normal working hours. Their support has meant a great deal to me over the years, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them as well,” says Ingrid.

Jens shares that gratitude. He says this type of research is rarely a nine-to-five job and that his family’s support and understanding have been essential in allowing him to pursue the work over many years.

For Jens, the award confirms the value of long-term clinical research. He also reflects on what makes such research possible:

“I often say that good ideas and important scientific questions are the truly scarce commodities. With the right questions, commitment and collaborations, it is possible to achieve a great deal.”

The questions ahead

Looking ahead, the central question for both researchers remains why common heart diseases develop and why they progress so differently between individuals. Better answers could allow veterinarians to identify animals at risk earlier, slow disease progression or prevent the disease altogether.

New methods are opening possibilities that were difficult to imagine when their careers began. Researchers can now combine information from thousands of genes, proteins and other molecules with increasingly advanced diagnostic imaging. This may clarify how genetic, dietary and environmental factors interact with other biological mechanisms in the development and progression of disease.

When Jens began his doctoral studies 35 years ago, uncovering the fundamental mechanisms behind the most common heart diseases in dogs and cats seemed beyond reach. He now believes that goal is close enough to be realistic, with the potential to benefit millions of dogs and cats. Ingrid wants to continue leading research that turns such knowledge into earlier diagnosis, better prevention and more effective and cost-effective care.

Jens is clear about where their motivation begins: “We are in it for the animals.” Ingrid adds that preventing disease and improving its management can also benefit society by strengthening animal welfare and potentially reducing the costs and resources required to care for sick animals.

“By studying naturally occurring diseases in animals, we can also contribute to a better understanding of similar diseases in humans and other species, creating opportunities to improve health across species within a One Health perspective,” says Ingrid.

Jens Häggström and Ingrid Ljungvall will receive the Award for Outstanding Research in Veterinary Medicine at a ceremony at SLU in Uppsala on 25 November 2026. The award is presented annually by SLU in collaboration with Agria Pet Insurance.

Related links:

• Read the press release issued in connection with the announcement.
• More about the Award for Outstanding Research in Veterinary Medicine.