معرفی
Rachel West, MS, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine, where she leads the West Lab for Placental Biology. Her research focuses on reproductive physiology, placental development, and stem cell biology, specifically examining molecular mechanisms of trophoblast differentiation and embryo implantation.
Education:
- BS (2011) and MS (2013) in Animal and Dairy Science from University of Georgia
- PhD (2018) in Biomedical Sciences from Colorado State University
Professional Experience:
- Postdoctoral Research Associate at Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (2018-2021)
Research Focus: Dr. West employs interdisciplinary approaches to investigate placental signaling failures impacting embryo implantation. Her work bridges reproductive physiology, stem cell biology, and molecular oncology, exploring how cancer-associated pathways regulate placental development. Key areas include: trophoblast stem cell dynamics, sex-specific immune impacts on pregnancy, and ERVW-1 proteins in trophoblast proliferation.
Publication Trends: Her 14 publications (2014-2023) predominantly explore placental development mechanisms, trophoblast biology, and stem cell applications in reproductive science. Recent work emphasizes human peri-implantation development, with growing focus on immunological aspects of pregnancy and computational modeling of placental function.
Laboratory: The West Lab utilizes cutting-edge technologies to study placental dysfunction mechanisms, particularly those causing implantation failure and compromised pregnancy outcomes.
