| Affiliations: | |
| Project Leader: | Monica Nguyen monica.nguyen@tamu.edu Biomedical Sciences |
| Faculty Mentor: | Christopher Quick, Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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TBA |
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Team Size:
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4 (Team Full) |
| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Participants will have the opportunity to learn standard microvascular microscopy methods, as well as the microvascular physiology. Significant scientific contribution to a successful project will result in co-authorship of conference proposals.
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Team Needs:
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All undergraduates preferred to be enroll in 3 credit hours of VTPP 291 or 491. We are particularly interested in undergraduates who are interested in biomedical research. BIMS or biomedical engineering majors are preferred.
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Description:
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Fetal alcohol syndrome which is induced by fetal exposure to alcohol has shown to affect neurological, growth, and heart development in developing fetuses. Gross cardiovascular malformations have been reproduced in animal models, but the effects of alcohol on subtle changes on microvascular network structure and function during embryonic development have not been addressed. The chick chorioallantoic model (CAM), provides a unique platform to repeatedly study the structure and function of microvascular networks of a developing fetus. By cutting a window into a fertilized chick egg or growing a fertilized chick egg ex-vivo, the radii and length of the microvasculature can be measured, as well as blood flow velocities. Furthermore, the response to changes in blood pressure, endothelial shear stress, and vasoactive substances can be quantified, not only in different sizes of microvessels, but also at different developmental stages. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to develop the CAM model as a platform to study the effect of low-dose ethanol on fetal microvascular network structure and function.
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