Creating an artificial fluid flow system in zebrafish embryos

How does the heart form in the embryo? The heart starts as a simple tube. Even then, it pumps blood around the body. Over time, heart cells sense and respond to mechanical forces caused by blood flow, morphing into the complex adult heart with chambers, valves. Although we know that mechanical forces are important in regulating heart development, our understanding of how this regulation occurs is limited. It is likely that the dynamics of compressive stress, tensile stress, and wall shear stress provide a complex code that gives cells precise instructions. However, it is currently difficult to test specific hypotheses due to the lack of methods to manipulate forces in live embryos. The zebrafish shares 70% of its genes with humans and have transparent embryos. This project aims to engineer an artificial fluid flow system that will enable us to manipulate flow forces in live zebrafish embryos, and observe the cell response under a microscope. We are looking for curious students with experience in making and fixing things, and are interested in working at the interface between Engineering and Biology.