Prince Henry's Institute - Uterine Biology

Uterine Biology Group









	Research Trial: Researchers at Monash Medical Centre, Clayton in collaboration with the World Health Organisation are trialing a new male contraceptive method. We need healthy couples living in a stable relationship and not planning pregnancy for two years. more details >>

Embryo implantation

Project Leader: Dr Eva Dimitriadis
Senior Research Officer
Phone: 03 9594 4392
Email: evdokia.dimitriadis@princehenrys.org

Research Interests

Embryo implantation into the uterus leads to the development of a functional placenta and is critical to human fertility, a successful pregnancy and a healthy start to life. Infertility affects 1/10 couples with 1/4 being due to unexplained causes. 30% of pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion and 3-5% are complicated by pre-eclampsia, which leads to prematurity and low birth weight babies. Thus deficiencies in implantation and placentation have far-reaching consequences.

Interleukin (IL)-11 and leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) are two of very few molecules unequivocally required for the establishment of pregnancy in mice, but their role in fertility in women is not defined.

Research focus and potential student projects

Role of IL-11 and LIF in epithelial and trophoblast interactions during implantation.
Endometrial cytokines as potential markers of infertility.
Endometrial cytokines as new contraceptive targets.
Cytokine signalling mechanisms in human endometrial stromal cell decidualization.

The projects will apply techniques established techniques including immunohistochemistry, cell culture, Western blot analysis and molecular biology and in vivo models to elucidate the mechanisms by which these two cytokines act in these critical processes.

Clinical significance

Currently there is no way of diagnosing endometrial infertility or of establishing whether the placenta is developing adequately. These studies could lead to identifying new targets for female fertility.

Brief CV

Qualifications: PhD, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Eva completed her PhD studies in 1996 and undertook post-doctoral fellowships in The Departments of Clinical Medicine and Surgery in Dublin, Ireland and Department of Food Science at RMIT University in Melbourne between 1996-1998. She began her work in reproductive biology in the Uterine Biology Group at Prince Henry’s Institute in 1999. Her collaborations include The Walter Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Cambridge University and Chile. Dr Dimitriadis supervises a research assistant; she teaches in the Monash University Education Program in Reproductive Biology and supervises two PhD students. She has a strong interest in understanding what factors contribute to making the endometrium receptive to an implanting blastocyst and endometrial epithelial and fetal trophoblast interactions during embryo implantation.