Jacot Lab for Pediatric Cardiovascular Engineering

Our research focuses on modeling cardiac mechanics in congenital heart disease and developing regenerative cardiac therapies for the treatment of pediatric heart disease. We apply the hypothesis that biophysical cues, such as stress, strain, shear, substrate stiffness and electrical stimulation, influence the development and maturation of heart cells and tissues with the following objectives:

• An understanding of the mechanical and electrical influences on the development of human congenital heart defects through imaging, computational modeling and the evaluation of primary tissue samples and cells.
• Investigation into mechanotransductive and biophysical cues that direct the differentiation, development and maturation of cardiac tissue from cardiac precursors and stem cells in cell culture and animal models.
• The design and evaluation of tissue engineered ventricular tissue for use in repair of congenital heart defects.