Welcome to the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program at Michigan State University

Hanne Hoffmann, assistant professor in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and her colleagues in the Hoffmann Lab, study how light regulates our physiology, affects our overall well-being and mood and induces changes in brain function. As winter approaches, Hoffmann answers questions about light and seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

What is SAD?

Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that is related to changes in seasons. It usually begins with less hours of sunlight in the fall and eases in spring when days gets longer. Interestingly, a small proportion of people do experience SAD in the summer. Due to the seasonality of SAD, it is commonly known as seasonal depression. Although anyone can get SAD, women experience it four times more frequently than men. At this point, it’s unclear why women are more at risk for SAD than men. Since the disorder is caused by changes in day length, the further away from the equator you live, the higher the risk of experiencing it.

Read Full Article on MSUTODAY

EAST LANSING, Mich (WLNS) – Michigan State University researchers have identified a potential new treatment for an especially painful and invasive form of endometriosis.

University officials say this research focused on a type of endometriosis that occurs in women who have a mutation in a gene called ARID1A, which is linked to the more invasive and painful form of the disease.

A new drug tested in lab experiments appeared to stop the spread of endometriosis. The condition, particularly the kind associated with the ARID1A mutation, can be debilitating for many women, and often leads to infertility.

The MSU team collaborated with Van Andel Institute researchers, providing them with tissue samples for VAI scientists to analyze with a machine called a next-generation sequencer.

For a link at the full study published in the scientific journal Cell Reports, click here.

Gregory Burns has been awarded an NIH F32 Post-Doctoral Fellowship by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. His Project is entitled “Regulation and function of Forkhead box C1 in endometriosis”. The project is sponsored by Dr. Asgi Fazleabas and co-sponsored by Dr. Stacey Missmer in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology and Dr. Bin Chen in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development. Dr. Burns is a post-doctoral fellow in the Fazleabas laboratory and the primary focus of his studies is on identifying regulatory pathways that contribute to endometriotic lesion development.

Today, March of Dimes announces three young investigators as recipients of the 2020 Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards: Dr. Ripla Arora from Michigan State University, Dr. Corina Lesseur from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Dr. Jamie Lo from Oregon Health & Science University. The annual award supports early-career scientists embarking on independent research careers who are committed to fighting for the health of all moms and babies.

Read Full Article on March of Dimes Website

Ryan Marquardt has been awarded an NIH F31 predoctoral fellowship by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for the project titled: “The role of ARID1A in endometriosis-related infertility”. This project is sponsored by Dr. Jae-Wook Jeong and co-sponsored by Dr. Asgerally Fazleabas in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology. Ryan is a doctoral candidate in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program studying the molecular basis of endometrial dysfunction implicated in endometriosis and infertility.

The Destiny I Never Dreamt of

Tulasi Talluri is an undergraduate researcher in MSU’s Department of Reproductive and Developmental Sciences.

At the crossroads of service and innovation is where I see myself practicing medicine - or, more accurately, at the plaza. That is, instead of picking a path dedicated to either entirely service or research, I will integrate the two facets as a physician-scientist. The power of discovery and the art of caring for others must be homogenized in medical care, and I aspire to do so throughout my life. Much of my college career has been dedicated to scientific research for this reason, although I was not sure of what exactly I wanted to research until a couple years ago.