Recipient Organization
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
ITHACA,NY 14853
Performing Department
Biomedical Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Reproductive losses due to subfertility, infertility and abortion cause heavy financial and emotional losses to farms and pet owners. Veterinary clinicians and diagnostic pathologists are called upon to evaluate, diagnose, and development medical management programs to control or alleviate such losses. Abortion storms can lead to financial ruin, and acquired diseases can greatly reduce the value of breeding stock by reducing their reproductive efficiency. Infectious diseases, toxins, genetic diseases and acquired lesions are indentified by diagnostic pathologist and supporting ancillary testing laboratories (microbiology, immunology, genetic and other disciplines) contained within diagnostic centers. My research deals with improving our ability to recognize causes of reproductive loss in domestic animals. The primary focus of my research is to better understand how various conditions and diseases impact or damage the placenta and cause altered placental function that may result in abortion, fetal growth retardation, or compromised fetal development. The health of reproductive in the non-gravid female is also being studied as it relates to the ability of a female to conceive and maintain a normal pregnancy. The primary method used to study this is retrospective study of case material submitted to the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell where I am a specialist in reproductive pathology. Recent projects have include review of nearly 400 uterine biopsies submitted from subfertile dogs. Similarly, we have published on diseases causing abortion in cattle and in mares with special emphasis on placental damage, with the results of our studies shared with other diagnostic pathologist so that all diagnosticians are better able to identify changes that identify the cause for the abortions. My experimental work has focued on development of animal models (in sheep, cattle and horses) that allows us to monitor and change placental function through controlled experimentally produce placental damage (for example through mild reduction in blood flow to the placenta using vascular embolization. These models allow for active sampling of fetal blood and placental fluids and for assessment of many biophysical parameters for periods up to 4 to 5 weeks. Much of our work, not surprisingly, has had to document normal placental function.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
In broad terms, this research program seeks to explore the impact infectious diseases, toxic insults genetic diseases or other conditions have on pregnancy in a variety of domestic animal species. This work is undertaken to enable veterinarians and reproductive biologists to better diagnose pregnancy failure and develop schemes for their clinical management and prevention. The primary focus is to understand how various conditions and diseases impact or damage the placenta or altered placental function and to characterize subsequent impacts on fetal well being. An important component of this work is grounded in achieving better understanding, through use and application of modern research approaches, of normal placenta anatomy and function of the placenta, and to develop appropriate experimental models from which placental patho-physiology can be studied. Effort in the past has focused on three species. Work has been done on the fetal lamb, calf and foal. A second area of research is based on the assessment of gross and histopathology lesions in reproductive tissues of animals who are infertile or subfertile, This is done through my work as a diagnostic reproductive pathologist through the Animal Diagnostic Center at Cornell University.
Project Methods
A variety of in vivo and in vitro studies are used. These include: Development of animal models (ovine, bovine) to: monitor fetal-placental function (via chronic instrumentation) and experimentally produce placental damage (for example: umbilical arterial vascular embolization to compromise placental blood flow). These models allow for active sampling of fetal blood and placental fluids and for assessment of many biophysical parameters for periods up to 4 to 5 weeks. Effects of hypoperfusion an compensatory changes are studied. Placental cellular pathology is investigated using tissues from experimentally cases as well as selected cases from a large diagnostic service. Techniques include immunohistochemistry (cell characterization, proliferative status, etc) tissue culture (we have established trophoblast culture systems). Molecular approaches are currently being developed to study growth factors, cytokine production and trophoblast specialization.