How essential organ systems are built during development and maintained throughout life. Analyses of selected organs (heart, limbs, and skin) in vertebrate model organisms. Examines the promise that regeneration-competent systems hold for improving outcomes after severe organ damage in humans. Prerequisite: BIOL 355; and either BIOL 401, BIOL 405, BIOL 411, BIOC 405, or BIOC 440.