S.K. Dey, Ph.D., Dorothy Overall Professor of Pediatrics and professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, joined the faculty in July.
For the past three decades, Dey has focused his efforts on understanding how the embryo makes first contact for attachment to the uterine wall, and a raft of projects is in the works.
One effort looks at how COX-2 derived prostaglandins are involved. These inflammatory molecules flare up when the body has a problem, like arthritis or headache.
Dey is also looking at the role of growth factors and cytokines, especially the EGF (epidermal growth factor) family of growth factors, in embryo implantation and development.