Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. For patients with end-stage heart failure, heart transplants are the only treatment available. However, the demand for donor hearts far exceeds their supply. Tissue engineering seeks to offer a therapeutic alternative by repairing or replacing diseased heart muscle. Colette’s project will attempt to mimic native conditions within engineered vessels and investigate how blood flow impacts channel shape, tissue maturation, and cell-lining growth. Her project will advance the field by providing insight on the effects of physiological flow in engineered vessels and will impact society more broadly by bringing tissue engineering one step closer to clinical application.

Advisor: Kareen Coulombe and Rajeev Kant