Medical innovation is often more of a marathon than a sprint. That seems to be the case for Jarvik Heart (New York), a private company founded in 1988 by Robert Jarvik, MD, to conduct R&D on advanced concepts for miniature artificial hearts. The company recently reached an important checkpoint that brings it closer to the finish line - the line that would allow its artificial heart to be used as a permanent support for end-stage congestive heart failure patients who are not candidates for transplant.