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by Dr. Menon

The Menon Lab Perinatal Research Lab

DR. MENON'S PERINATAL RESEARCH LABORATORY RECEIVED RO1 FUNDING FOR DEVELOPING ORGAN-ON-CHIP FOR HUMAN FETAL MEMBRANE STUDIES

OUR TEAM

Ananth Kumar Kammala PhD, Esha Ganguly PhD, Rheanna Urrabaz-Garza, Ramkumar Menon PhD, Phyllis Orise, Megan Galindo MD, Megan Benson DO, Megan Shepard MD and  Lab and Business Manager - Talar Kechichian, MS

Menon Lab Received Multiple NIH Grants in 2020

UG3TR003283 - Developing extracellular vesicle based therapeutics against pre-term birth through the use of maternal-fetal interface on a chip

1R01HD100729-01- Intercellular interactions define cell migrations and transitions that maintain fetal membrane homeostasis

 3R01HD100729-01S1 - Administrative Supplement to Intercellular interactions define cell migrations and transitions that maintain fetal membrane homeostasis

At the recently concluded American Society for Reproductive Immunology, 39th Annual Meeting held in Grand Rapids MI (June 12 - 16, 2019). Dr. Menon was awarded the prestigious J. Christian Herr Award by the society for his last several decades' contributions and achievements in Reproductive Immunology.

Dr. Menon's lab receives a major contract from ILIAS Therapeutics, NY

Dr. Menon received a major contract from ILIAS Therapeutics in New York to study specific drug delivery using exosomes to minimize the risk of preterm birth induced by infection. This 3-year contract is worth ~ $ 1.5 million.

Exosomes as drug delivery vehicles to reduce the risk of preterm birth

The Menon lab is recently funded by ILIAS Biologics, Korea, and ILIAS Therapeutics, USA to test an anti-inflammatory drug to be delivered through exosomes to reduce the incidence of preterm birth.

1. Preclinical trials in mouse models of infection
2. Efficacy and pharmacodynamics and kinetics of exosomal delivered drug
3. Toxicity and transgenerational effects

Fetal Membranes Biology Laboratory

The Perinatal Research Laboratory  (the Menon laboratory) is primarily interested in studying feto-maternal communications associated with maintenance of pregnancy and initiation of labor and delivery (parturition). The lab studies various aspects of fetal responses using a fetal membrane (amniochorionic membrane/placental membrane) as a model. Over 25 years, The Menon laboratory has studied changes in fetal membranes in response to various endogenous and exogenous factors and developed pathways and biomarkers associated with human parturition.

Organ on a chip

Dr. Menon's lab is developing the following tissue models on chip:

1. Fetal membranes
2. Cervix
3. Placenta
4. Fetal membrane – placental – decidual interface

Specific Interests: 

1. _{Fetal Membrane homeostasis via cellular proliferation, migration, and transition.}
2. _{Transport of microbes through the fetal membrane and maternal uterine cell layers.}
3. _{Trafficking of exosomes through the fetal membrane and maternal uterine cell layers. Their functional impact, modification of the local environment, and impact on pregnancy.}
4. _{Transport kinetic assessment of drugs used during pregnancy using placental organ on-chip.}
5. _{Role of microvesicles as communication channels between feto-maternal units.}
6. _{Engineering exosomes to have cargo of interest to determine functional properties of specific cargo during pregnancy, and}
7. _{Aging in Utero – Inflammaging process.}