Wagenseil receives grant to study change in structure of the aorta’s walls

Jessica Wagenseil, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the McKelvey School of Engineering, will study how change in the structure of the aorta’s wall may contribute to progression of an aneurysm with a three-year, $300,000 Transformational Project Award from the American Heart Association.

Genetics and other factors may cause the aorta, the body’s largest artery, to widen or expand, leading to weakness in its walls. This weakness may lead to a thoracic aortic aneurysm, or a rupture causing extensive damage and bleeding. Read more on the engineering website.