Blood flow modulation of embryonic cardiac remodeling and malformation

Normal hemodynamic forces associated with blood flow are essential for proper cardiac development, as abnormal blood flow conditions trigger detrimental cardiac growth and remodeling that eventually result in heart defects seen in congenital heart disease. Although it is clear that hemodynamics play an important role in heart morphogenesis, the ways in which perturbed blood flow dynamics in the early embryo lead to later cardiovascular malformation remain unclear. The work presented in this dissertation uses novel combinations of imaging techniques and analysis methods to precisely characterize the effects of abnormal hemodynamics on cardiac development.