Directed by Ie-Ming Shih, the Richard W. TeLinde Gynecologic Pathology Research Program focuses on ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers, as well as gestational trophoblastic diseases and endometriosis.

Interdepartmental faculty members collaborate with researchers in the Howard W. and Georgeanna Seegar Jones Laboratory of Reproductive Sciences and Women’s Health Research to study the molecular pathogenesis and translational aspects of endometriosis, a disease that affects many women of childbearing age.

The team has applied next-generation sequencing and other state-of-the-art technologies to explore the origin, clonal evolution and mechanisms of the metastatic nature of endometriosis. Researchers are assessing new biomarkers and developing new methods for early detection and risk prediction. Investigators are also studying the molecular mechanisms behind how some endometriosis cases develop into endometriosis-related ovarian cancers.