University of Pittsburgh Physicians
300 Halket Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-641-4221
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Our Research
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| Areas of Interest |
Summary of Research Activities |
| Non-Clinical Faculty - Julie A. DeLoia, Ph.D. |
Non-Clinical Faculty - Tony M. Plant, Ph.D. |
| Non-Clinical Faculty - Gerald P. Schatten, Ph.D. |
Non-Clinical Faculty - Anthony J. Zeleznik, Ph.D. |
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| Areas of Interest |
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| An active, ongoing research program is in place involving collaboration with members of the Center for Reproductive Physiology, the Department of Epidemiology, and the Magee-Womens Research Institute. Areas of interest include reproductive neuroscience (emphasizing the role of the hypothalamus in menstrual cycle disorders), clinical epidemiology (emphasizing infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome and menopause), molecular biology, ovarian physiology, and the physiology of puberty. |
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Developmental and Regenerative Medicine
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| Summary of Research Activities |
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The Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) is comprised of a mixture of clinicians and basic researchers. Each of these faculty members offers unique expertise in disciplines directly related to reproduction. One of the research goals of the REI division is to develop research initiatives that reflect a marriage of basic and clinical science to foster improved understanding of the complexities of reproduction and to work towards better interventions for individuals with reproductive endocrine disorders.
An example of this collaborative interaction between clinical and basic research investigators is the Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproductive Research (SCCPRR), which is funded by the NICHHD through a cooperative agreement. Tony Plant, PhD, is the director of the Pittsburgh grant, entitled “Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Primate Gonad.” The overall goal of this Center is to study, by integrating molecular, cellular and system approaches, the physiological mechanisms that govern gonadal function in primates and to investigate the pathophysiological bases of specific states of human infertility where parallel and interactive studies of non-human primates are likely to be particularly rewarding. The Center funds two basic science projects; one is headed by Dr. Plant and the other is headed by Dr. Zeleznik. The Center also funds a clinical project with Dr. Kalro as a Co-Investigator. This collaboration has been further enhanced by the addition of supplemental funding for the Pregnancy in PCOS trial initiated by the RMN. Because of the sample size required to meet the aims of this trial, additional funds are being allocated to U54 sites with expertise in PCOS. Dr. Gosman will be responsible for the conduct of this second clinical project.
The REI Division holds a weekly research and training conference. Fellows, residents, medical students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend and participate by presenting their latest research findings, journal article, or a clinical topic. These weekly meetings foster interaction between basic and clinical researchers. |
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| Non-Clinical Faculty - Julie A. DeLoia, Ph.D. |
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| Julie A. DeLoia, Ph.D., Associate Professor OB/Gyn/Repro Sciences. Dr. DeLoia’s research is focused on the cellular and molecular events associated with implantation. Her current and future work is focusing on leukocyte cell trafficking within the uterus. She employs immuno-compromised transgenic mice and cDNA array technology to define precisely the changes in gene expression that occur within the endometrium at the time of implantational receptivity. |
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| Non-Clinical Faculty - Tony M. Plant, Ph.D. |
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| Tony M. Plant, Ph.D., Professor Cell Biology and Physiology and OB/GYN/Repro Sciences; Director, Center for Research in Reproductive Physiology (CRRP). Dr. Plant’s major research interest is the ontogeny of the neuroendocrine control system that governs gonadal function in higher primates and that, therefore, dictates the timing of the onset of puberty in these species. He is the director of the NIH-funded U54 SCCPRR grant, entitled “Physiology and Patho-physiology of the Primate Gonad” and is PI for Project 3, “Control of Spermatogenesis by the FSH Inhibin B Feedback Loop” of this grant. Dr. Plant is collaborating with Dr. Selma F. Witchel, Department of Pediatrics, and is looking for mutations in the genes encoding NPY receptors in children with central sexual precocity. |
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| Non-Clinical Faculty - Gerald P. Schatten, Ph.D. |
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Gerald P. Schatten, Ph.D., Director, Division of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, formerly the Pittsburgh Development Center (PDC); Deputy Director, Magee-Womens Research Institute; Professor & Vice Chair of OB/GYN/Repro Sciences. The goals of the Developmental and Regenerative Medicine Division are to understand human reproduction and development, and to contribute to molecular medical therapies by determining stem cell potentials and accelerating gene therapy. Utilizing gametes, embryos, and stem cells from primates, Dr. Schatten's team answers questions regarding:
(1) human reproduction (e.g. gametogenesis, contraception, assisted reproduction, genetic basis of infertility, male and female meiotic cell cycle regulation, and reproductive aging);
(2) human development (pre- and post-implantation development, body axis specification, somatogenesis, organogenesis, imprinting, extra-embryonic membrane allocation, pluripotency, dynamic noninvasive imaging of transgenic reporters);
(3) cloned transgenic disease models (breast and ovarian cancers; inborn errors of metabolism; artherosclerosis; infectious diseases; cognitive and mental disorders; Parkinson's and Huntington's Diseases; polycystic kidney disease; blindness, deafness and sensory disorders; storage diseases; cystic fibrosis);
(4) stem cell potentials (diabetes, liver and kidney cells; wound healing; muscle and nerve);
(5) genetic versus epigenetic or environmental causes for human diseases. |
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| Non-Clinical Faculty - Anthony J. Zeleznik, Ph.D. |
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| Anthony J. Zeleznik, Ph.D., Professor Cell Biology and Physiology and OB/GYN/Repro Sciences; Director, IVF Laboratory. The principal focus of Dr. Zeleznik's laboratory is to understand the physiology and cell biology of ovarian cyclicity (follicular development and selection, luteinization, and luteolysis) during the primate menstrual cycle. Dr. Zeleznik is the PI of Project 2 entitled, “Autocrine and Paracrine Regulation of FSH Action on the Ovary” of the U54 NIH-funded SCCPRR. This project will investigate the role of FSH on the ovary from both physiological and cellular levels. At the physiological level, he is using macaque monkeys to investigate the in vivo response of the ovaries to standardized infusion regimens of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in the presence and absence of exogenous insulin-like growth factor, testosterone, and/or insulin to determine if any or all of these putative non-gonadotropic regulators of ovarian function have demonstrable effects on the ovary in vivo. At the cellular and molecular levels, he is interested in identifying the cellular signaling pathways used by FSH and LH to promote granulosa cell proliferation and differentiation and to further explore the consequences of altered of the expression of the cAMP-regulated transcription factor CREB that occurs during luteinization with respect to the cessation of the proliferation of luteal cells as well as their commitment to luteolysis. To accomplish this, he is using replication-defective adenovirus vectors to express dominant-negative and dominant-active mutants of gonadotropin receptors, protein kinases, and transcription factors in cell culture as well as using these vectors to modulate gene expression in vivo. Dr. Zeleznik also serves as faculty mentor to Dr. Elizabeth McGee. |
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