Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2008

Mentor: Vidu Garg, MD
Department: Pediatrics and Molecular Biology
Room number: NA8.124
Mail Code: 9148
Phone number: 214-648-1246
E-mail: vidu.garg@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Mechanisms of aortic valve development

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 0999-07-04-1

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects)

Brief Description of Project:

Congenital bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart defect with a prevalence of 1-2%. It has been hypothesized that the normal mechanism by which the mature aortic valve develops involves apoptotic events at the junctional points between mature leaflets, but this hypothesis has never been tested. The goal of this project is to elucidate the mechanism of normal aortic valve septation in the mouse embryo in order to better understand the mechanistic failure which leads to bicuspid aortic valve.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

2003 Misty Deming, 2nd year medical student. Project: "Analysis of the Growth of Children with 22q11 Deletion Syndrome"

2008 David Sutcliffe, 4th year medical student. Project: "Mechanisms of Aortic Valve Development"