About Us
Extracellular Matrix Regulation of Connective Tissue Disorders
Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect and affect approximately 1% of births per year in the United States. The Mead Lab at Case Western Reserve University aims to identify novel gene mutations linked to these defects and understand their impact on heart development.
Impact of Our Research
The short-term impact of our research is identifying and understanding the molecular mechanisms of heart development and disease. Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect and affect approximately 1% of births per year in the United States. We aim to identify novel gene mutations linked to these defects and understand their impact on heart development. Identifying these gene mutations will allow for early detection and, hopefully, early intervention. The long-term impact of our research is to uncover the molecular mechanisms of these disease-causing gene mutations to identify new ways to treat congenital heart defect patients.