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Kristy Red-Horse studies the origin, development, and growth of coronary blood vessels with the goal of elucidating their unique developmental systems and revealing repair and regeneration pathways to mend diseased and injured hearts. For example, Red-Horse and her team identified a key protein for inducing formation of collateral arteries – vessels that act as natural bypasses and restore blood flow to occluded vessels. Now, working in mice and guinea pigs, they are investigating other mechanisms and molecules that may be essential to coronary artery development, repair, and regeneration. They are also engineering systems to observe heart function in real time as the heart develops and repairs itself.