Studies of Signals and Molecules Involved in Physiological and Pathological Processes of the Ovary

The mammalian ovary is a heterogenous organ consisting of follicles and copora lutea at various stages of development. The main functions of the ovary are to produce fertilizable ova and steroidogenesis. Menopause takes place when the pool of ovarian follicles is used up. Unfortunately, many pathological processes take place in the mammalian ovary, causing ovarian cancers and female infertility. Our major research interest is to identify the intra-ovarian—and especially the intra-oocyte—signals and molecules that contribute to the physiological and pathological changes in the ovaries. The molecules of interest are members of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, and those related to it. The research team currently consists of 7 people: principal investigator Kui Liu and graduate students Pradeep Reddy, Krishna Jagarlamudi, Deepak Adhikari, Yue Shen, Wenjing Zheng, and Asari Shashidar. Most of the time we also have another 1-2 project students. We are constantly looking for highly motivated research students and postdocs. Our local collaborators include Drs Eva Lundin (Department of Pathology, Umeå University), Ulrika Ottander and Annika Idahl (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Umeå University). For more information, please contact Kui Liu.