Impact of Cranial and Calcaneal Tendons in Chick Embryos on the Human Population

Presenter: Aiden Bellamy, Bioengineering , Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum, I worked at the Kuo Lab investigating the effects of different forms of paralysis on the calcaneal (Achilles) and jaw tendons in the chick embryo. In doing this, I worked to dissect, stage, section, and stage the tendons to learn more on both a cellular and mechanistic level about how a tendon grows across the embryonic life cycle. In doing so, our group was able to provide new markers for tendon growth, which allow for better tacking of the mechanistic growth of the tendon, as well as a better analysis of the burden of disease and paralysis on the embryonic tendon. This can be directly applied to human tendons, as the chick embryo and the human embryo have very similar embryonic life cycles, meaning the two will grow in a similar pattern to each other. Thus, knowing how the chick embryo grows and is affected allows researchers to better understand how to prevent different forms of tendon injury and disease in human tendons. With tendon injuries being the second most common disability in the world, this has become a valuable tool on a global level, impacting people of all ages and lifestyles.