Project Grant R03HD123028

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded The Ohio State University $157,500 on September 1, 2026, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.HDR) to evaluate the dynamics of developmental tube morphogenesis.

The recipient will construct and validate a computational framework combining mathematical modeling and image-based analysis to investigate how mechanical forces and genetic regulation coordinate biological tube formation and maintenance. Using C. elegans vulva morphogenesis as a simplified experimental model, the project will develop a planar worm-like chain model simulating dynamic mechanical interactions during vulva development, incorporating bending and stretching energies and using Hookean springs to represent internal pressures and external constraints. A custom modified Metropolis-Hastings algorithm will identify parameter sets reproducing wild-type behaviors through experimental imaging and quantitative time-series analysis. The project will then compare parameters generating wild-type and abnormal phenotypes using mutant strains to uncover mechanical and structural features distinguishing functional from defective morphogenesis. The resulting experimentally validated framework will inform broader studies of organogenesis involving tube structures, with long-term application to understanding congenital disorders including spina bifida, gastrointestinal malformations, and structural birth defects.

The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. Work is performed in Columbus, Ohio.