The research being conducted in the laboratory  focuses on understanding steroid hormone action and the processes regulating embryo implantation in the uterus.  The goals of the research are to  a) gain understandings of these processes and thus allow for the development of methods to determine the likelihood of success of specific embryos to produce a baby during in vitro fertilization b) find ways to increase fertility in both humans as well as agriculturally important species  c) determine the effects of environmental estrogens on early pregnancy and d) manipulate responses to endotoxins and other compounds that can induce shock based on our understanding of how steroid hormones confer protection or increase susceptibility to this process.  Currently these are the main projects ongoing in the laboratory.

1.  A major project is the role of nitric oxide in early pregnancy.  Nitric oxide appears to play a role in early pregnancy both in embryonic development as well as in uterine responses to estrogen.  If the production of nitric oxide is inhibited embryos will not divide normally.  Thus we are interested in understanding the role that nitric oxide plays in embryo development.  In addition, we plan to study the normal pattern of nitric oxide production in the uterus and hopefully determine if altered production results in decreased fertility.
2. The other major project ongoing in the lab is being conducted in collaboration with Ken Bost and Ian Marriott.  The project is designed to sort out the immune mechanisms that regulate how the immune systems between men and women differ leading to different responses to bacterial shock or increased incidence of autoimmune diseases in women.  We have demonstrated that estrogen makes women less susceptible to endotoxic shock but more research needs to be done to identify how this occurs. 
3. A third project being conducted by  Dr. Nury Steuerwald in the lab investigates the origin of instability of the DNA in oocytes of older women that underlies the increased incidence of aneuploidy (more or less than the normal number of chromosomes).  Using rapid real-time RT-PCR fluorescent methods to quantify copy number in mouse/human material, we have established that an association exists between maternal age and the expression level of genes important in the process that halts DNA duplication if it is abnormal in the oocyte. We are currently attempting to identify additional informative molecular markers.