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Elizabeth Stephens

Bioengineering (Rice University)

Undergraduate Institution: University of California - San Diego

Year: Fifth-Year Graduate Student

Mentor: Jane Grande-Allen, Ph.D.

Thesis Title: Composition, Turnover, and Mechanics of Extracellular Matrix in Developing, Aging, and Pathological Valves

Publications:

Stephens EH, De Jonge N, McNeill MP, Durst CA, Grande-Allen KJ. Age-related changes in material behavior of porcine mitral and aortic valves and correlation to matrix composition. Tissue Engineering, 2009; in press.

Stephens EH, Huynh TN, Cieluch JD, Grande-Allen KJ. Fibronectin-based isolation of valve interstitial cell subpopulations: Relevance to valve disease. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research A. 2009 Feb 2 [Epub ahead of print].

Stephens EH, Timek TA, Daughters GT, Kuo JJ, Patton AM, Baggett LS, Ingels NB, Jr., Miller DC, Grande-Allen KJ. Significant changes in mitral valve leaflet matrix composition and turnover with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. Circulation, 2009; in press.

Gupta V, Barzilla JE, Stephens EH, Mendez JS, Lee E, Collard CD, Weigel P, Grande-Allen KJ. Abundance and location of hyaluronan and proteoglycans within myxomatous mitral valves. Cardiovascular Pathology, 2009; 18(4):191-7.

Gupta V, Barzilla JE, Mendez JS, Stephens EH, Lee EL, Collard CD, Laucirica R, Weigel PH, Grande-Allen KJ. Abundance and location of proteoglycans and hyaluronan within normal and myxomatous mitral valves. Cardiovasc Pathol. 2008; (118)14 Suppl:S243-9.

Gupta V, Werdenberg JA, Lawrence BD, Mendez JS, Stephens EH, Grande-Allen KJ. Reversible secretion of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans by cyclically stretched valvular cells in 3D culture. Ann Biomed Eng. 2008; (36)7:1092-103.

Stephens EH, Chu CK, Grande-Allen KJ. Valve proteoglycan content and glycosaminoglycan fine structure are unique to microstructure, mechanical load and age: Relevance to an age-specific tissue-engineered heart valve. Acta Biomater. 2008; (4)5:1148-60.

Stephens EH, Nguyen TC, Itoh A, Ingels NB, Miller CD, Grande-Allen KJ. The effects of hemodynamics of regurgitation alone are sufficient for mitral valve leaflet remodeling. Circulation. 2008; 118(11):S243-9.

Stephens EH, Carroll JL, Grande-Allen KJ. The use of collagenase III for the isolation of porcine aortic valvular interstitial cells: rationale and optimization. J Heart Valve Dis. 2007; (16)2:175-83.

Stephens EH, Grande-Allen KJ. Age-related changes in collagen synthesis and turnover in porcine heart valves. J Heart Valve Dis. 2007; (16)6:672-82.