Examining mutations, tumor formation, hormonal regulation of ovarian follicular development, and so much more at Baylor College of Medicine
With over 600 students and 540 faculty members, Baylor College of Medicine Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers a diverse group of potential colleagues, mentors and advisors.
Their interdisciplinary programs integrate related research across basic science and clinical departments and academic centers. By giving faculty members the freedom to elect to join programs based on their research interests rather than being locked into a department structure, students can interact with faculty who bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives to their chosen field of study.
Potential graduate programs to keep students engaged in up-and-coming research
Many faculty members serve in more than one graduate program. As students explore the possibilities, they are able to seek out a program with the combination of interests that best match their own rather than focusing on the individual faculty member.
JoAnne Stewart Richards is a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor College of Medicine and the director of the cell biology graduate program. Her laboratory studies ovarian cancer and the molecular mechanisms in ovarian function; here, she explores her research further, giving an in-depth insight into her specialities.
Exploring Professor JoAnne S. Richards and her research
My research career interests have focused on the hormonal regulation of ovarian follicular development by applying molecular approaches and using mutant mouse models. We have identified genes and signaling pathways that regulate specific stages of ovarian follicular development and ovulation, including the roles of ADAMTS1, TNFAIP6 and PTGS2 in the ovulation process.
While most of our studies have focused on granulosa cells functions, our recent studies have shown that androgens impact theca cell functions, especially in relation to PCOS. Specifically, we have analyzed and identified inflammatory events associated with peri-ovulatory events in follicles of PCOS patients undergoing IVF.
Androgens and their control of theca cell functions
These studies have led to our current interest in how androgens control the ovarian follicle and more specifically, theca cell functions. Using a DHT mouse model, we have observed major changes in theca cell morphology, expansion into the stromal compartment and gene expression profiles.
My laboratory has also developed novel mouse models of granulosa cell and ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cancer. We have documented that disruption of FOXO1, FOXO3 and PTEN in granulosa cells leads to tumor formation and changes in granulosa cell fate decisions. Using our OSE mutant mouse models we have shown that the mutant status of the tumor protein p53 alters the response of tumors to steroid hormones.
Thus, our current studies seek to determine how the R175H, R248Q and R273H mutant p53 alleles that are over-represented in human ovarian cancer control tumor growth and responses to steroid hormones and how steroid hormones impact tumor progression and the tumour-immune microenvironment. We are also examining markers for mitosis and polyploidy giant cancer cells (PGCCs) in high-grade ovarian cancer cell lines.
