RESEARCH INTERESTS

A major research program in the laboratory is to investigate the hormonal signaling mechanisms that control maternal-fetal interactions during implantation and early placentation to identify factors that underlie early pregnancy failure and infertility. We have uncovered novel pathways regulated by the steroid receptors, cytokines, and growth factors in the uterus, providing important insights into the cellular mechanisms by which implantation is controlled. This new knowledge, combined with functional analyses in conditional knockout mouse models, provides a blueprint of the molecular networks that control the progressive phases of this process.

The laboratory is also interested in understanding how exposures to environmental endocrine disruptors affect steroid-regulated pathways in uterine tissues, resulting in female infertility and various diseases of pregnancy, such as recurring pregnancy loss, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and birth defects.

Another research focus in the laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanism of action of a novel progesterone receptor modulator Ulipristal, which prevents ovulation in women.