Basic Science Research

Areas of focus: Steroid biochemistry; estrogen biosynthesis; disease progenitor cells and epigenetic defects in endometriosis, leiomyomata and breast cancer; progesterone receptors in endometriosis and leiomyomas; use of aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of endometriosis and leiomyomata

Go to the Bulun Lab page

Areas of focus: Mechanisms of steroid hormone and vitamin signaling with special emphasis on the role of the nuclear hormone receptor co-regulatory proteins in gene transcription; identifying and characterizing the role of chromatin signal transducer proteins including the recently identified INHAT proteins in gene regulation

Areas of focus:  The female reproductive system is the first to age in the human body, and this aging has dramatic consequences on fertility and overall health. We are investigating the overarching hypothesis that deterioration of oocyte-intrinsic cellular pathways together with alterations in the ovarian environment underlie the age-associated decline in female gamete quantity and quality. 

Go to the Duncan Lab Website

Areas of focus: Elucidating mechanisms of hormone action in reproductive tissues and its diseases in a context dependent manner; role of hyperactivated AKT pathway in endometrial cancer and uterine fibroids, and how this signaling pathway influences hormone receptor action, specifically, progesterone receptor (PR)

Areas of focus: Epigenetic defects and tumor progenitor cells in ovarian cancer

Northwestern University is one of eight sites nationally conducting an NIH-funded study looking at specific outcomes from the pregnancy of nulliparous (first-time mothers) women under the direction of Grobman. With about 40 percent of women in the United States being first-time mothers, historical data predicting poor outcome in pregnancy for patients is lacking. The nuMOM2b study aims to enroll 10,000 women across the country to identify why some women experience complications and others do not. Scientists will collect blood, urine and vaginal specimens, second and third trimester ultrasound measurements and placental, umbilical cord and cord blood samples along with subject interviews.

Northwestern University is a participating site and member of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development's Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network under the direction of Grobman. The mission of research conducted by the MFMU Network is to reduce the incidence of prematurity and/or the sequelae of premature birth. Through completion of randomized clinical trials (RCTs or interventional studies) and observational studies, current obstetric care practices are modified and/or new obstetric care trends are initiated based on evidence generated by the research studies, favorably impacting maternal and neonatal outcomes. Since 2001, Northwestern has proudly collaborated with the MFMU Network on such studies as weekly progesterone injections for women with a history of preterm delivery and Beneficial Effects of Antenatal Magnesium Sulfate (BEAM), both of which are now standard of care for pregnant women with indications for their respective uses. Current studies include screening pregnant women for CMV to identify women with an infection in the current pregnancy, ST segment analysis of the FHR as an adjunct to electronic fetal monitoring, observational study of HCV in pregnant women and betamethasone use for women who are highly likely to deliver prematurely between 34 and 36 completed weeks.

The Northwestern Ovarian Cancer Early Detection and Prevention Program (NOCEDPP), under the direction of Lee P. Shulman, MD, is a collaborative effort between Northwestern University and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. This collaborative effort integrates with the clinical screening of women at high risk of ovarian cancer with the development of new serum and plasma tumor markers for the early detection of ovarian cancer.

The Uterine Leiomyoma Research Center Program is the only NIH-funded fibroid research program in the world. Bulun joined together with Drs. Julie Kim, Debabrata Chakravarti, JianJun Wei, Erica Marsh and Romana Nowak (University of Illinois) in 2005 to build a comprehensive and innovative research program for basic and clinical investigation of uterine fibroids. In 2009, this group received NIH funding for these efforts, which has been used to demonstrate the roles of progesterone, antiprogestins, the AKT pathway and nuclear receptors in uterine fibroid biology. Recently, this group focused on the roles of tissue stem cells in uterine fibroid regeneration and growth. The group has also perfected the most clinically relevant models of uterine fibroids including engrafting human tissues and cells under the kidney capsule, primary 3D cultures of fibroid and myometrial cells and isolation of somatic stem cells via antibody-based sorting.

(https://www.crs.northwestern.edu/)

The Center for Reproductive Science (CRS) is an interdisciplinary collaboration of medical and science scholars at the forefront of reproductive research, medicine, and technology. The CRS mission is to enhance and coordinate research in the reproductive sciences at Northwestern, to promote the application of this research toward human welfare, and to optimize the training of future researchers, educators and clinicians in the reproductive sciences. Our reproductive science community is vibrant, and we garner success from innovative collaborations and technologies.  We are at the crossroads of multiple disciplines, including medicine, physiology, chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, biomaterials engineering, religion, anthropology, law, and bioethics. The CRS offers a wide array of resources, programming, and funding opportunities in reproductive science and medicine, and we invite you to dive into our website to learn more.