The Biomechanics of Growth and Remodeling Lab

The Biomechanics of Growth and Remodeling Laboratory focuses on understanding how soft biological tissues maintain homeostasis and adapt to altered mechanical and biochemical environments. We seek to understand how cells within tissues alter the production, removal, and organization of extracellular matrix proteins that prescribe tissue function and structural integrity. Understanding these relationships is critical to determining why and how (patho)physiological processes occur to design effective clinical interventions. Major themes of this work include evaluating the role of elastic fibers and smooth muscle cells in the female reproductive system and understanding constraints on soft tissue adaptation and regeneration, such as increasing age and pregnancy. To accomplish this, we develop tools to directly address gaps in the fundamental knowledge of evolving structure-function relationships in soft biological tissues. Specifically, we leverage multiaxial mechanical testing methods, constitutive models, model systems with varying constraints on regenerative capability(pregnancy, postpartum, aging), and genetically-modified animals to yield dynamic structure-function relationships to design predictive tools to guide interventions. While our primary area of interest is women’s reproductive health, this research is complemented and expedited by parallel projects in other collagenous tissues – mainly tendons (and vasculature in collaboration with Sarah Lindsey, Tulane) – composed of the same extracellular matrix components. Hence, our research program seeks to improve clinical care of specific problems in public health (e.g., pelvic floor disorders) and leverage our findings across disciplines to improve adult wound healing and tissue regeneration strategies.