Research

The theme of our center is 'structure-function relationships in reproductive biology. One of the most important and far-reaching ideas to emerge from our center is that the biomechanical structure of the ovary informs follicle function.

As women age, their reproductive capacity diminishes, and the ovary becomes more rigid. One of our studies involves examining whether the physical environment of the ovary contributes to age-related infertility.

We are also studying the hormones that regulate female fertility. The development of biopharmaceuticals that regulate these hormones could make a profound impact on women's fertility in the next decade. Finally, technological advancement in reproductive medicine is slow. Women must endure invasive procedures to evaluate their reproductive health, and these technologies are not relevant to longitudinal studies of health and disease and are not appropriate for use in adolescents. We are attempting to overcome these hurdles by introducing and developing a new MR method that, in a non-invasive way, could diagnose a structural feature of the PCOS ovaries, physical rigidity.

The Center for Reproductive Research supports four primary projects.  Click on the links below to learn more about each project and labs at the forefront of this research.

Project I: Follicle Development in Aneuploidy and Aging: 3D Culture Model

Project II: Transcription Factor Interactions in Reproductive Hormone Gene Expression

Project III: TGF-beta Ligand Complexes in Ovarian Development

Project IV: In Vitro Models of Human Ovarian Follicle Health and Disease