Like most biological research in the United States, the Woodruff Lab receives the majority of funding from the American taxpayer via the National Institutes of Health. Some of the Woodruff Lab’s current, proposed and completed funding comes from the following grants:
Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) have resulted in the birth of millions of individuals worldwide, however, this technology still has many imperfections including low efficiencywith a live birth rate of ~34-40%, and high risk of multiple gestation with its myriad associated risks.…
One of the most compelling unanswered questions in human biology is how just one out of half a million oocytes is selected each month to complete its development and ovulate. Each woman is born with a million follicles, the fundamental units…
The main goal of this program grant is to investigate signaling pathways by which hormones or other regulatory factors act on the ovary to promote steroidogenesis and the maturation of follicle and germ cells necessary to sustain female fertility.
The goal of the Northwestern University Superfund Research Center in Reproductive Health Hazards (NU SRC) is to focus on the effects of environmental metal contaminants on reproductive function by determine the impact of metals on gamete (egg and sperm) function and…
The female reproductive tract is an integrated set of organs that supports women's overall endocrine health, fertility and fetal development. Each organ within the tract is composed of different cells that interact with each other, relying on a precise tissue architecture…
A grim health diagnosis that threatens to damage reproductive health presents both patients and providers with the dual challenges of maximizing life expectancy while protecting the ability to have a family-after the disease. The Northwestern University Center for Reproductive Health After…
The most recognized action of activin is to stimulate follistatin-stimulating hormone (FSH) production by the pituitary gonadotrope in vitro and in vivo. Our work in the past five years has led to a consolidated model of activin-controlled pituitary FSH regulation…
The objective of this research is to understand the structural determinants that influence inhibin heterodimer assembly, processing and antagonism of an activin signal. The most recognized action of inhibin is to suppress FSH production and secretion by the pituitary gonadotrope…
In 2007, Dr. Teresa Woodruff and colleagues at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago received the prestigious Medical Research Award from the W. M. Keck Foundation.
Every year, more than 135,000 young people are diagnosed with cancer in the US. Seventy-seven percent of cancer patients under age 45 survive more than 5 years and quality-of-life is important to survivors, their clinicians, and their communities.
The Center for Reproductive Research (CRR) at Northwestern University supports a multidisciplinary group of scientists who use innovative approaches to expand the understanding of female fertility and infertility. The purpose of our center is to shed light on the structure-function relationships…