Mouse models of human aneurysm conditions such as MFS have been developed that recapitulate multiple disease manifestations, importantly including aortic aneurysm, allowing for observations of disease progression to be made across the lifespan. In our lab we utilize animal and cell biological models to investigate the effects of genetic derangements on the performance of aortic cells and their attendant effects on organ function. We are interested in the common pathophysiologic events leading to aortic aneurysm in syndromic and nonsyndromic human conditions. A guiding principle in our approach is to model  human disease as closely as possible to make observations which can inform clinical medicine. Our approach integrates murine and human genetics, cardiovascular dynamics, histologic, and cell biologic techniques.