Events Calendar

Jessica Wagenseil

Washington University in St. Louis

Associate Professor

Faculty Host: Katherine Zhang

Student Host: Anastasia Gkousioudi

Refreshments at 2:45 PM

Elastic Fibers and Arterial Mechanics

Abstract:

Elasticity of the large arteries is determined by the amount and quality of elastic fibers in the wall. Elastic fibers are composed of over 20 different proteins and the contribution of different proteins to arterial wall elasticity and the cellular response to alterations in elasticity are largely unknown. Dr. Wagenseil will present data on how arterial wall elasticity is affected by the loss of specific elastic fiber proteins in newborn and maturing mouse aorta. She will also compare and contrast gene expression changes associated with the loss of three different elastic fiber proteins during late embryonic and early postnatal development of the mouse aorta. She will speculate on how these changes in the mechanobiological environment may lead to pathological remodeling in development and disease.

Bio:

Jessica Wagenseil, D.Sc. joined the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Department at Washington University in August 2013. She was an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Saint Louis University from 2009 – 2013. 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 in St. Louis under the guidance of Dr. Ruth Okamoto for studying the mechanical properties of bio-artificial tissues. Dr. Wagenseil did a postdoctoral fellowship at the Washington University School of Medicine with Dr. Robert Mecham focusing on elastin assembly and the mechanical properties of arteries with reduced elastin amounts. Dr. Wagenseil continues to study cardiovascular mechanics, specifically focusing on cardiovascular development, extracellular matrix and microstructural modeling. Her work is important for determining clinical interventions for elastin-related diseases and for designing better protocols for building tissue engineered blood vessels.