High-Risk Pregnancy
Led by Scott Walsh, Ph.D. and Jerome Strauss, III, M.D., Ph.D., this area of OB/GYN research is dedicated to the advancement of maternal-fetal medicine and improving care for high-risk pregnancies.
Current Projects
- Genetic variants associated with preterm premature rupture of membranes and cervical insufficiency (PI: Dr. Strauss)
- Environmental factors contributing to preterm birth, such as the vaginal microbiome (PI: Dr. Strauss)
- The immunological role of neutrophils that infiltrate blood vessels of preeclamptic women and their pregnancy-specific expression of protease-activated receptor 1 as a cause of vascular dysfunction, inflammation and enhanced vascular reactivity in preeclampsia (PI: Dr. Walsh)
- Identifying a unique lipid profile in maternal blood or urine early in pregnancy that will predict women who will later develop preeclampsia or other pregnancy complications (PI: Dr. Walsh)
- Why African Americans have higher incidences of premature birth and low-birth-weight infants than other ethnic groups (PI: Dr. Walsh)
Infertility
Dr. Strauss and Maria Teves, Ph.D., study female and male infertility through the lenses of genetics and molecular cell biology.
Current Projects
- Genetic variants associated with preterm premature rupture of membranes and cervical insufficiency (PI: Dr. Strauss)
- Environmental factors contributing to preterm birth, such as the vaginal microbiome (PI: Dr. Strauss)
- The immunological role of neutrophils that infiltrate blood vessels of preeclamptic women and their pregnancy-specific expression of protease-activated receptor 1 as a cause of vascular dysfunction, inflammation and enhanced vascular reactivity in preeclampsia (PI: Dr. Walsh)
- Identifying a unique lipid profile in maternal blood or urine early in pregnancy that will predict women who will later develop preeclampsia or other pregnancy complications (PI: Dr. Walsh)
- Why African Americans have higher incidences of premature birth and low-birth-weight infants than other ethnic groups (PI: Dr. Walsh)
Ovarian Function
Dr. Strauss is investigating the role of estrogens in angiogenesis, with a focus on hydroxyestradiol metabolites and catechol estrogens and their pro- and anti-angiogenic activities in regulating follicular growth and corpus luteum function.
Faculty
Maria E. Teves, Ph.D.