Abstract: The extracellular matrix protein, elastin, provides reversible extensibility to the large arteries, such as the aorta, allowing them to expand and relax with each cardiac cycle. This extensibility is critical for proper function of the cardiovascular system. Elastin is deposited during late embryonic development and early postnatal growth, at the same time that blood pressure and flow are increasing. This relationship suggests that mechanobiological signals for elastin deposition are linked to hemodynamic forces. In this talk, I will discuss how reduced or absent elastin affects aortic mechanics, cardiovascular hemodynamics, and aortic wall development in genetically modified mouse models. I will also discuss how altered hemodynamics, specifically reduced blood flow, affects elastin amounts, aortic mechanics, and wall development in developing chick embryos. I will introduce mathematical models that we use to better understand the cause and effect relationships between elastin amounts and cardiovascular hemodynamics. The combination of experimental work in diverse animal models and mathematical modeling will advance our understanding of how the aortic wall in constructed to provide appropriate extensibility for normal cardiovascular function. The knowledge will aid in designing and constructing tissue engineered arteries and in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases associated with elastin defects.

Bio: Jessica Wagenseil, D.Sc. joined the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Department at Washington University in August of 2013 as an Associate Professor. She was previously in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Saint Louis University. She got her B.S. in Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego. She received her D.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University and did a postdoctoral fellowship in Cell Biology and Physiology at the Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Wagenseil studies cardiovascular mechanics, specifically focusing on the extracellular matrix and microstructural modeling in development and disease. Dr. Wagenseil’s work has been funded by the NIH, NSF, Marfan Foundation, and American Heart Association.

BME Faculty Host: Craig Goergen

Coffee and juice will be provided at West Lafayette