The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award is to implement an integrative approach to investigate the role played by hemodynamic forces in the development of calcific bicuspid aortic valve disease. The bicuspid aortic valve is a congenital heart valve defect characterized by the presence of two leaflets instead of three and is frequently associated with calcific aortic valve disease, a condition marked by the accumulation of calcium on the leaflets and progressive heart failure. While the disease has been historically linked to genetic and atherogenic origins, hemodynamics has recently emerged as a potential alternate etiology. Studies conducted under this award will combine: 1) state-of-the-art flow diagnostic techniques to characterize the degree of blood flow abnormality in the bicuspid valve; 2) innovative tissue conditioning methods to elucidate the mechanisms of calcification secondary to those flow abnormalities; and 3) sophisticated fluid-based mechanobiological models to predict disease progression.
The fundamental knowledge gained from these studies will bring a new perspective on the mechanisms of calcific aortic valve disease. The elucidation of the signaling mechanisms triggered by blood flow abnormalities will provide new insights into the potential to manipulate flow-sensitive molecules to slow disease progression, while the mechanobiological models will lay the foundations for a predictive tool capable of estimating the valvular calcific potential. The educational plan focuses on promoting interdisciplinary engineering approaches across graduate and undergraduate programs, and inspiring K-12 students and underrepresented groups to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Those objectives will be achieved in the context of outreach activities and mechanical engineering curriculum development activities aimed at increasing student understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of engineering and enhancing student ability to describe medical problems from an engineering perspective.
