Animal Models of Human Birth Defects

This book focuses on the use of animal models to study various human defects. It summarizes our current understanding of a variety of common human birth defects and the essential role of animal models in shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of these disorders. Birth defects are the leading cause of infant deaths, and cost billions of dollars in care for those affected. Unfortunately, the lack of a clear understanding of the mechanisms leading to many of these developmental disorders has hindered effective prevention and early intervention strategies. Studies using animal models have provided essential insights into several human birth defects. This book serves as a valuable reference resource for researchers and graduate students who are interested in learning the basic principles as well as the latest advances in the study of the mechanisms of human birth defects.

Dr. Aimin Liu completed his PhD at the lab of Dr. Alex Joyner at New York University School of Medicine, working on the roles of Fgf8 in mouse mid/hindbrain development. He subsequently worked as a Postdoc Fellow with Drs Lee Niswander and Kathryn Anderson at the Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York and University of Colorado at Denver, where he was involved in the genetic analysis of limb and neural tube development. He started his own lab at the Biology Department of the Pennsylvania State University, where he currently works as an Associate Professor. His research focuses on the roles of the primary cilium and the Hedgehog signaling pathway in mouse development. He is a member of AAAS and the Society for Developmental Biology.