Ripla Arora

BIOGRAPHY

Ripla Arora received her Bachelors and Masters degree in Biochemistry from the University of Delhi, India. She went on to receive her PhD degree in Genetics and Development from Columbia University, New York where she studied the role of T-box transcription factors in vascular morphogenesis of the allantois (umbilical precursor) and epithelial branching in the lung. She completed her postdoctoral work in the Department of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at University of California, San Francisco where she developed novel 3D imaging and quantitative modeling of the murine uterus during preimplantation stages and the cycling human endometrium. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology within the College of Human Medicine and a member of the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering at Michigan State University.

RESEARCH

Abnormalities during the establishment of pregnancy can have impacts far downstream, including miscarriage, placental insufficiency, intra-uterine growth restriction, preeclampsia and preterm birth. Early events of mammalian pregnancy, although crucial for normal development, are poorly understood. Owing to the small size and transparent nature of the early embryo, development from fertilization to blastocyst stages has been extensively documented by imaging. On the other hand deeper understanding of the 3D architecture of the embryo’s uterine environment and the uterine glands has lagged behind. Combining the strengths of developmental genetics, 3D imaging, computational image analysis and gene expression analysis, my laboratory will establish how hormones influence the uterine luminal and glandular epithelium to modulate receptivity and implantation.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Uterine Biology -  Maternal Fetal interactions
• Developmental Genetics
• Early embryo development