The Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine is engaged in clinical, basic bench and epidemiological research as one of its primary missions. Our strength lies in the expertise and diverse interests of our faculty, as well as in the collaborations with multiple other disciplines and departments throughout the School of Medicine, The Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the School of Biomedical Engineering. The strong research infrastructure of the Johns Hopkins University forms a solid foundation for the success of our integrated research program for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

The Taverna Laboratory studies histone marks, such as lysine methylation and acetylation, and how they contribute to an epigenetic/histone code that dictates chromatin-templated functions like transcriptional activation and gene silencing. Our lab uses biochemistry and cell biology in a variety of model organisms to explore connections between gene regulation and proteins that write and read histone marks, many of which have clear links to human diseases like leukemia and other cancers. We also investigate links between small RNAs and histone marks involved in gene silencing.

The International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab) Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics is a multidisciplinary research-to-practice initiative at Johns Hopkins University that is accelerating the field of neuroarts through the study of neuroaesthetics. The lab brings together brain scientists and practitioners in the visual and performing arts, architecture and design, and creative arts therapies to foster collaboration and research. 

Research in the Kawsar Rasmy Talaat Lab focuses on international health and parasitology, with an emphasis on vaccines, avian influenza and pandemic influenza. Our team conducts clinical trials of vaccines for a range of diverse pathogens, including flu strains that have the potential to reach pandemic status. Our studies seek to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of vaccine candidates. We also have a longstanding interest in tropical medicine.

Our IndoUS team, based both in Baltimore and in India, specializes in international clinical research (cohort studies and clinical trials), public health implementation science and education in infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), vaccine preventable illnesses, antimicrobial resistant infections, and more recently COVID. Since 2003, our work has been focused primarily on India, where we are engaged in several Indo-JHU and international research collaborations. We partner with several leading medical and research institutions in India (e.g. BJGMC, DY Patil, Hinduja Hospital, KEM, Bharati Vidyapeeth, NIRT, JIPMER, CMC, Medanta, IISER, YRG, IIT), as well as others in sub-Saharan Africa, US and Brazil. We are actively involved in the following consortia: 1) Indo-US Vaccine Action Program sponsored RePORT India TB research consortium, which is funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the government of India, Department of Biotechnology. 2) RePORT International TB Research Consortium, a multilateral global consortia for TB research, 3) US NIH funded multi-country HIV and TB trials consortia of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) and the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Trials Network (IMPAACT) Network, 4) NIH and AmFAR funded IeDea HIV/TB Working Group and the Treat Asia-IeDEA HIV and TB epidemiology databases, and 5) CDC SHEPHERD AMR studies. Our group has been awarded research grants from the US NIH, US CDC, UNITAID, Indian government, and several philanthropic foundations to investigate infectious diseases of importance to India and beyond.

The Mihaela Pertea Lab develops computational tools for RNA sequence analysis, gene finding, splice-site prediction and sequence-motif finding. Previous research projects led to the development of open-source software systems related to finding genes.

The Fukunaga Lab uses multidisciplinary approaches to understand the cell biology, biogenesis and function of RNA-binding proteins and small silencing RNAs from the atomic to the organismal level. The lab studies (1) biology and molecular functions and mechanisms of uncharacterized RNA-binding proteins, and (2) how small silencing RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), are produced and function. Mutations in the RNA-binding protein and small RNA genes cause many diseases, including cancers. We use a combination of biochemistry, Drosophila genetics, molecular biology, cell culture, and next-generation sequencing, to answer fundamental biological questions and also potentially lead to therapeutic applications to human diseases.

Investigators in the Robert Brodsky Lab study normal and abnormal hematopoiesis, particularly mutations of the phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class A (PIG-A) gene in aplastic anemia. Our team has developed a new diagnostic assay for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) that is based on the toxin Aaeromonas hydrophila.

Research in the Salzberg Lab focuses on the development of new computational methods for analysis of DNA from the latest sequencing technologies. Over the years, we have developed and applied software to many problems in gene finding, genome assembly, comparative genomics, evolutionary genomics and sequencing technology itself. Our current work emphasizes analysis of DNA and RNA sequenced with next-generation technology.

Research in the Padmini Ranasinghe Lab focuses on internal and preventive medicine, with an emphasis on health and wellness and international health.