Research Mentors
Participating labs and mentors
Gamete Gene Regulation and Embryo Epigenetics
| Faculty | Area of Study | Primary Model Organisms |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Murphy | Gamete chromatin and stem cell formation during fertilization | Mice, Zebrafish |
| Ellie Duan | Epigenetic regulation during preimplantation development | Mice, Cattle |
| Andrew Grimson | Gene regulation in the male germline | Mammalian cell lines (in vitro culture), Mice |
| Arunika Das | Epigenetic reprogramming in embryos and its consequences such as early pregnancy loss | Mice, Horses |
| Jongmin Kim | Chromatin and gene regulation in spermatogenesis | Mice, Drosophila (flies) |
| Charles Danko | Gene regulation during sperm development and maturation | Mice |
| Haiyuan Yu | Using cutting edge proteomics to study developmental pathways in reproductive biology | Mice, Yeast |
Gametogenesis, Fertilization, and Infertility
| Faculty | Area of Study | Primary Model Organisms |
|---|---|---|
| Paula Cohen | Gamete biology, infertility, and contraception | Human, Mice, Cattle |
| Yi Athena Ren | Ovarian health and ovulation-related infertility | Mice, Cattle |
| Bob Weiss | DNA damage response mechanisms during meiosis as well as mechanisms related to the origins, progression and therapeutic sensitivity of germ cell tumors and breast cancers | Mice, mammalian cell lines |
| Mariana Wolfner | How seminal proteins improve fertility and the molecular changes that transition a mature oocyte to begin embryogenesis once fertilized | Drosophila (flies), Mosquitoes, Mice |
| Jongmin Kim | Chromatin and gene regulation in spermatogenesis | Mice, Drosophila (flies) |
| Daylon James | Fertility preservation and augmentation in girls/women using pluripotent and adult stem cells | Human, Mammalian cell lines |
| Gianpiero Palermo | Male factors contributing to infertility and mechanisms of fertilization | Human |
| Alex Travis | How sperm become able to fertilize, with applications ranging from diagnostics for male fertility, designing technologies of assisted reproduction, and developing contraceptives | Human, Canine |
| Zev Rosenwaks | Developing morphologic and biologic markers of embryo viability in order to enable single embryo transfer and avoid multiple pregnancies; optimizing preimplantation genetic testing; and deriving human embryonic stem cell lines | Human |
Reproduction and Aging
| Faculty | Area of Study | Primary Model Organisms |
|---|---|---|
| Siu Sylvia Lee | Interface of reproduction, metabolism, and longevity | C. Elegans (worms) |
| Nozomi Nishimura | How menopause affects the drivers for diseases of aging, including Alzheimer's and cardiac disease | Mice, Rats |
| Marjolein van der Meulen | The modulation of musculoskeletal tissues by mechanical loading and the determinants of skeletal structure and load bearing function, both areas relevant to age and menopause related diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis | Mice, Humans |
| Ben Cosgrove | Aging and cancer initiation within the female reproductive tract | Mice, Mammalian cell lines (in vitro culture) |
| Jeannine Gerhardt | Research on fragile X premutation and aged human oocytes and granulosa cells | Human, Mammalian cell lines |
| Ned Place | Reproductive endocrinology; using anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) as biomarker for various reproductive states, e.g., individual responsiveness to ovarian stimulation, size of the ovarian reserve, ensuing reproductive senescence, and granulosa cell tumors | Mice, Small Rodents, Domestic Cats, Large Felines |
| Arunika Das | Epigenome stability during reproductive aging | Mice, Horses |
| Connor Owens | Reproductive aging and dairy cattle reproduction | Mice, Cattle |
| Roberta Marongiu | Identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of sex and menopause on brain disorders like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease | Human, Mice |
Contraception
| Faculty | Area of Study | Primary Model Organisms |
|---|---|---|
| Paula Cohen | Gamete biology, infertility, and contraception | Human, Mice, Cattle |
| Jochen Buck | Sperm activation and development of new forms of contraception for men and women | Mice, Human |
| Lonny Levin | Studying the role of soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) and cAMP in sperm motility and capacitation, and attempting to develop novel forms of contraception by inhibiting sAC | Mice, Human |
| Aileen Gariepy | My research focuses on developing and testing innovative, multi-faceted strategies for decreasing the incidence and effects of contraception use and non-use, and unintended pregnancy, particularly among vulnerable and marginalized populations | Human |
| Kristin Murphy | Investigating novel targets for female contraception | Mice |
| Alex Travis | How sperm become able to fertilize, with applications ranging from diagnostics for male fertility, designing technologies of assisted reproduction, and developing contraceptives | Human, Canine |
Endocrinology
| Faculty | Area of Study | Primary Model Organisms |
|---|---|---|
| Vimal Selveraj | Gonad steroidogenesis, oocyte maturation and embryo development during IVF, and stem cell pluripotency | Mice, Cattle |
| Ned Place | Reproductive endocrinology; using anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) as biomarker for various reproductive states, e.g., individual responsiveness to ovarian stimulation, size of the ovarian reserve, ensuing reproductive senescence, and granulosa cell tumors | Mice, Small Rodents, Domestic Cats, Large Felines |
| Lauren Osborne | The biological mechanisms of mood and anxiety disorders at times of reproductive hormonal transition, with a special focus on the immune system and neuroactive steroids | Human |
| Daylon James | Fertility preservation and augmentation in girls/women using pluripotent and adult stem cells | Human, Mammalian cell lines |
Nutrition and Disorders of Reproduction
| Faculty | Area of Study | Primary Model Organisms |
|---|---|---|
| Marla Lujan | Nutritional and metabolic regulation of menstrual cyclicity with a translational research focus on diagnostics and lifestyle management of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) | Mice, Human |
| Julia Finkelstein | Nutrition, preconception, maternal-fetal medicine, maternal and child health | Human, Mice |
| Kim O’Brien | Study mineral and vitamin physiology and placental nutrient transport in humans | Human, Mice |
| Claudia Fischbach-Teschl | Breast cancer with a focus on elucidating the pro-tumorigenic effects mediated by obesity and pathological bone remodeling, both aspects that primarily affects the prognosis of women with postmenopausal breast cancer | Human, Mammalian cell lines (in vitro culture) |
| Heidi Stuhlmann | Using molecular, genetic and epigenetic tools to study placental development, using mouse as a model system, and developmental disease in humans | Mice, Human, Mammalian cell lines (in vitro culture) |
Production Animal Reproduction and Fertility
| Faculty | Area of Study | Primary Model Organisms |
|---|---|---|
| Julio Giordano | Precision reproductive management strategies in dairy cattle fertility | Cattle |
| Mandi de Mestre | Using an interdisciplinary approach to make scientific advances in our fundamental understanding of pregnancy-related conditions ranging from pregnancy loss to developmental programming | Horse |
| Connor Owens | Reproductive aging and dairy cattle reproduction | Mice, Cattle |
| Callum Donnely | Impacts of metabolic disease on reproductive success | Horse, Cattle |
| C. Scott Bailey | improving treatment outcomes in reproductive medicine by combining targeted ex vivo trials to develop mechanistic understanding of activity with large-scale clinical field trials | Horse, Cattle |
| Pierre Comizzoli | Fertility preservation and reproductive health in domestic as well as in wild animal species | Cattle, Deer, Large Felines |
| Doug Antczak | Placental development and various aspects of pregnancy immunology | Horse |
Biomedical Engineering
| Faculty | Area of Study | Primary Model Organisms |
|---|---|---|
| Kayla Wolf | Engineering human reproductive tissue models as platforms for hypothesis testing and drug testing | Human, mammalian cell lines (in vitro culture) |
| Nozomi Nishimura | How menopause affects the drivers for diseases of aging, including Alzheimer's and cardiac disease | Mice, Rats |
| Marjolein van der Meulen | The modulation of musculoskeletal tissues by mechanical loading and the determinants of skeletal structure and load bearing function, both areas relevant to age and menopause related diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis | Mice, Humans |
| Ben Cosgrove | Aging and cancer initiation within the female reproductive tract | Mice, Mammalian cell lines (in vitro culture) |