Reproduction Group
Academic Unit: Faculty of Medicine
Colombian Ministry of Science
OECD
Area
Medical and health sciences
Subarea
Basic medicine
Strategic Focus
We are a scientific group that does basic and applied research, teaching, and community outreach through the development of projects in sexual health and reproductive biology. This is done to generate knowledge that is projected to society to contribute to the management of reproduction related processes. To fulfill this mission, the three lines of research within the group have been strengthened.
Research Lines and/or Areas
- Gestational alterations and autoimmunity.
- Andrology.
- Glycobiology.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Group Coordinator
Angela Patricia Cadavid Jaramillo, MD, MSc, PhD
PhD in Basic Biomedical Sciences
Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Scientific Cooperation
Collaborative Relationships
Joint work with groups and researchers from national and international universities and even with private companies. We work with the support of artificial intelligence and neural networks for the prediction of gestational alterations and stress.
The group participates in several national scientific associations such as the Psycho-neuro-immune-endocrinology Association, and international associations such as the Latin American Association of Researchers in Human Reproduction (ALIRH) and the Iberoamerican Network of Vascular Alterations Associated with Pregnancy Disorders (RIVA-TREM).
Highlighted Projects
From the research areas, different projects have been developed focused on the following topics:
Gestational alterations and autoimmunity:
a. Effect of antiphospholipid antibodies on trophoblastic cells and on endothelial cell dysfunction causing gestational losses and vascular thrombosis.
b. Assessment of the mechanisms of action of different drugs used in the management of antiphospholipid syndrome to optimize the scheme of use.
c. Formation of the SAF Colombia Support Group to gather patients with this disease in the Colombian territory and generate a space for communication and interaction.
Andrology:
a. Evaluation of seminal quality in men.
b. Evaluation of sperm biology.
c. Determination of the interaction capacity between spermatozoa and viruses/bacteria/fungi.
d. Effect of prostatitis on male health.
Glycobiology:
Role of glycan recognition at the maternal-fetal interface and its relation to preeclampsia:
a. Biochemical-immunoendocrine approach
b. Structural alterations of the glycocalyx in the serum-mediated glomerular filtration barrier of women with preeclampsia: possible early markers of renal damage.
Key Research Findings
- Publication of national and international articles; dissemination of results in academic and scientific events; and expert advice and support to patients with different reproductive disorders.
- Other more notable results include:
a. We found two possible biomarkers in early gestational renal damage that can be used for prognosis of gestational diseases.
b. We improved placental histoculture systems for in vitro maternal-fetal interface studies.
c. We describe and demonstrate the possible pathophysiological processes of renal damage in preeclampsia associated with glomerular endothelial glycans.
