Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Arterial Distribution Of The Human Aorta: An Examination Of The Evolutionary, Developmental, And Physiological Bases Of Asymmetry., Brandon Oddo, Cooker Storm

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The study of anatomy contends that “form follows function”; a disciplinary theme purporting that anatomical structures (i.e., cells, tissues, and organs) have a shape that serves its proper function. With this in mind, it is unclear why human arterial distribution off the aortic arch is asymmetrical, while the corresponding venous anatomy is symmetrical. We investigated the evolutionary, developmental, and physiological bases for the asymmetry of aortic arch branches in humans. First, we investigated the cardiovascular anatomy of ancestral species to determine if, and at what level, anatomical divergence (from aortic symmetry to asymmetry) occurs. Second, we examined the formation of …

Comparison Of Downstream Cell Survival Responses In Huvecs And Hlecs During Vegf Signaling, Haley Smith

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Comparison of Downstream Cell Survival Responses in HUVECs and HLECs During VEGF Signaling

Author: Haley M. Smith

Mentor: Thomas L. Vandergon

Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are vital processes that allow the formation of new blood and lymph vessels from existing blood or lymph vessels. Formation of these vessels is essential to bring oxygen and nutrients to the body as well as maintaining tissue fluid balance. New blood or lymph vessel growth occurs in response to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) signaling to vascular endothelial cells. The VEGF signal molecules bind to cell surface receptors and elicit a variety of responses including …