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Pregnancy Adaptation Group

The Pregnancy Adaptation Group is one of the world’s leading groups studying pregnancy and pregnancy disorders, including preeclampsia, from a diverse perspective. Members lead and participate in the Gates Foundation Co-laboratory, the Preeclampsia Foundation, and the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (ISSHP).

The group is investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of preeclampsia as well as behavioral, epidemiological, and clinical components leading to the disorder. The group also studies other adverse outcomes of pregnancy, including fetal growth restriction and preterm birth, and long-range associations of these disorders with later life health of the mother and her infant.

Members

Faculty Members

  • Janet Catov, PhD
  • Sandra Founds, CNM, FNP, PhD
  • Robin E. Gandley, PhD
  • Carl A. Hubel, PhD
  • Arun Jeyabalan, MD, MSCR
  • Robert W. Powers, PhD
  • James M. Roberts, MD
  • Mandy Jo Schmella, PhD, RN
  • Judith Brands, PhD
  • Alisse Hauspurg-Janicki, MD

Post-Doctoral Fellows

  • Mary Gemmel, PhD
  • Lauren Brilli Skvarca, MD, PhD

Research Staff

  • Kasey Dickenson
  • Rachel Stough
  • Marcia Gallaher, MS

Additional Resources

Selected Publications

  • Hauspurg A, Ying W, Hubel C, Ouyang P, Michos E. Adverse pregnancy outcomes and future cardiovascular disease. Clinical Cardiology. 2018; 41(2): 239-246, 2018.
  • Mosca L, Ouyang P, Hubel C, Reynolds H, Allison M. Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research network (SFRN) Centers. Circulation 2017; Feb 7;135(6):609-611.
  • Hauspurg A*, Sutton EF*, Caritis SN, Catov JM. Aspirin effect on adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with stage 1 hypertension in a high-risk cohort. Hypertension 2018; 72(1): 202-207.
  • Sutton EF, Hauspurg A, Caritis SN, Powers RW, Catov JM. Maternal outcomes associated with lower-range stage 1 hypertension. Obstet Gynecol. 2018; Oct; 132(4):843-849
  • Assibey-Mensah V, Parks WT, Gernand AD, Catov JM. Race and Risk of Maternal Vascular Malperfusion Lesions in the Placenta. Placenta. 2018; Sep; 69:102-108.
  • Catov JM, Countouris M, Hauspurg A. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and CVD prediction: accounting for risk accrual during the reproductive years. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018; Sep 11;72(11):1264-1266.
  • Assibey-Mensah V, Fabio A, Mendez DD, Roberts JM, Lee PC, Catov JM. Neighbourhood assets and early pregnancy cardiometabolic risk factors. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2019; Jan;33(1):79-87
  • Benschop L, Schalekamp-Timmermans S, Broere-Brown ZA, Roeters van Lennep JE, Jaddoe VWV, Roos-Hesselink JW, Ikram MK, Steegers EAP, Roberts JM, Gandley RE. Placental Growth Factor as an Indicator of Maternal Cardiovascular Risk After Pregnancy. Circulation. 2019 Apr 2;139(14):1698-1709. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.036632
  • Hauspurg A, Redman EK, Assibey-Mensah V, Parks WT, Jeyabalan A, Roberts JM, Catov JM. Placental findings in non-hypertensive term pregnancies and association with future adverse pregnancy outcomes: a cohort study. Placenta. 2018; Dec 15;74:14-19.
  • Catov JM, Countouris M, Hauspurg A. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and CVD prediction: Accounting for risk accrual during the reproductive years. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018; Sep 11;72(11):1264-1266.
  • Ying W, Catov JM, Ouyang P. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and future maternal cardiovascular risk. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018; Sep 4;7(17):e009382. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.118.009382.
  • Hauspurg A, Countouris ME, Jeyabalan A, Hubel CA, Roberts JM, Schwarz EB, Catov JM. Risk of hypertension and abnormal biomarkers in the first year postpartum associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy among overweight and obese women. Pregnancy Hypertension 2019; 2019 Jan;15:1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.preghy.2018.10.009. Epub 2018 Nov 2.
  • Weissgerber TL, Rajakumar A, Myerski A, Edmunds LR, Powers RW, Roberts JM, Gandley RE, Hubel CA. Vascular pool of releasable soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sFLT1) in women with previous preeclampsia and uncomplicated pregnancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014;99:978-987. PMC3942228
  • Bainbridge SA, Roberts JM, von Versen-Höynck F, Koch J, Hubel CA. Uric acid attenuates trophoblast invasion and integration into endothelial cell monolayers. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2009;297:C440-450. PMC2724097
  • von Versen-Höynck F, Brodowski L, Dechend R, Myerski AC, Hubel CA. Vitamin D antagonizes negative effects of preeclampsia on fetal endothelial colony forming cell number and function. PLoS One. 2014; 9(6):e98990. PMC4044051
  • Brodowski L, Burlakov J, Myerski AC, von Kaisenberg CS, Grundmann M, **Hubel CA, **von Versen-Höynck F. Vitamin D prevents endothelial progenitor cell dysfunction induced by sera from women with preeclampsia or conditioned media from hypoxic placenta. PLoS One. 2014;9(6): e98527. PMC4041729
  • Catov JM, Bertolet M, Chen Y, Evans RW, Hubel CA. Nonesterified fatty acids and spontaneous preterm birth: A factor analysis for identification of risk patterns. Am J Epidemiol. 2014;179(10):1208-15. PMC4010188
  • Catov JM, Abatemarco D, Althouse A, Davis EM, Hubel C. Patterns of gestational weight gain related to fetal growth among women with overweight and obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2015 May;23(5):1071-8. PMC4414675
  • Roberts JM & Hubel CA. The two stage model of preeclampsia: Variations on the theme. Placenta 30:S32-7, 2009.
  • Roberts JM, Bodnar LM, Lain KY, et al. Uric acid is as important as proteinuria in identifying fetal risk in women with gestational hypertension. Hypertension, 46:1263-9, 2005.
  • Shibata E, Powers RW, Rajakumar A, von Versen-Höynck F, Gallaher MJ, Lykins DL, Roberts JM, & Hubel CA. Angiotensin II decreases system A amino acid transporter activity in human placental villous fragments through AT1 receptor activation. Am J Physiol (Endocrinol Metab), 291(5):E1009-16, 2006.
  • Shibata E, Hubel CA, Powers RW, von Versen-Hoeynck F, and Roberts JM. Placental system A amino acid transport is reduced in pregnancies with small for gestational age (SGA) infants but not in preeclampsia with SGA infants. Placenta, 29:879-82, 2008.
  • Gandley RE, Rohland J, Zhou Y, Shibata E, Harger GF, Rajakumar A, Kagan VE, Markovic N, & Hubel CA. Increased myeloperoxidase in the placenta and circulation of women with preeclampsia. Hypertension, 52(2):387-93, 2008.
  • Powers RW, Bodnar LM, Ness RB, Cooper KM, Gallaher MJ, Frank MP Daftary AR, & Roberts JM. Uric acid concentrations are increased throughout pregnancy among women with gestational hyperuricemia at delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 194:161-8, 2006.
  • Speer PD, Powers RW, Frank MP, Harger G, Markovic N, & Roberts JM. Elevated asymmetric dimethylarginine concentrations precede clinical preeclampsia but not pregnancies with small for gestational age infants. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 198(1):112.e1-7, Jan. 2008.
  • Jeyabalan A*, Powers RW*, Durica AR, Harger MS, Roberts JM, & Ness RB. Cigarette smoke exposure and angiogenic factors in pregnancy and preeclampsia. Am J Hypertens, 21(8):943-7, 2008. (*: these individuals contributed equally to this work).
  • von Versen-Hoeynck FM, Hubel CA, Gallaher MJ, Gammill HS, & Powers RW. Plasma levels of inflammatory markers C-reactive protein, sialic acid and neopterin in pregnancy and preeclampsia. Am J Hypertens, 22(6):687-92, 2009. (*: 2009 Editorial Pick)
  • Rajakumar A, Powers RW, Hubel CA, Shibata E, von Versen-Hoynck F, Plymire D, & Jeyabalan A. Novel soluble Flt-1 isoforms in plasma and cultured placental explants from normotensive pregnant and preeclamptic women. Placenta, 30:25-31, 2009.
  • Jeyabalan A, McGonigal S, Gilmour C, Hubel CA, & Rajakumar A. Circulating and placental endoglin concentrations in pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction and preeclampsia. Placenta, 29(6):555-63, 2008.
  • Jeyabalan A, Powers RW, Durica AR, Harger G, Roberts JM, & Ness RB. Cigarette smoke exposure and angiogenic factor in pregnancy and preeclampsia. Am J Hypertens, 21(8):943-7, 2008.
  • Jeyabalan A, Kerchner LJ, Fisher MC, McGuane JT, Doty KD, & Conrad KP. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity, protein, mRNA and tissue inhibitors in small arteries from pregnant and relaxin-treated nonpregnant rats. J Appl Physiol, 100(6):1955-63, 2006.
  • Founds SA, Powers RW, Patrick TE, Ren D, Harger GF, Markovic N, & Roberts JM. A comparison of circulating TNF-alpha in obese and lean women with and without preeclampsia. Hypertens Pregnancy, 27(1), 39-48, 2008.
  • Founds SA, Conley Y P, Lyons-Weiler JF, Jeyabalan A, Hogge WA, & Conrad KP. Altered global gene expression in first trimester placentas of women, 2009.
  • Okun ML, Hanusa BH, Hall M, & Wisner KL. Sleep complaints in late pregnancy and the recurrence of postpartum depression. Beh Sleep Medicine, 7(2):106-17, 2009. PMID: 19330583
  • Okun ML, Coussons-Read ME, & Hall M. Disturbed sleep is associated with increased C-reactive protein in young women. Brain Behav Immun, 23(3): 351-4, 2009. PMID: 19007876
  • Okun ML, Roberts JM, Marsland AL, & Hall M. How disturbed sleep may be a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. A Hypothesis Ob-Gyn Survey, 64(4):273-80, 2009. PMID: 19296861
  • Catov JM, Bodnar LM, Ness RB, Barron SJ, & Roberts JM. Inflammation and dyslipidemia related to risk of spontaneous preterm birth. Am J Epidemiol, 166(11):1312-9, 2007.
  • Catov JM, Newman AB, Roberts JM, Kelsey SF, Sutton-Tyrrell K, Harris TB, Colbert LH, Rubin SM, Satterfield S, & Ness RB. Preterm delivery and remote maternal cardiovascular disease risk: The health, aging and body composition study. Epidemiol, 18(6):733-9, 2007.
  • Powers, R.W., Jeyabalan, A., Clifton, R.G., Van Dorsten, P., Hauth, J.C., Klebanoff, M.A., Lindheimer, M.D., Sibai, B., Landon, M., and Miodovnik, M. for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network. (2010) Soluble fms-like Tyrosine Kinase 1 (sFlt1), Endoglin and Placental Growth Factor (PlGF) in Preeclampsa Among High Risk Pregnancies. PLoS ONE. Vol 5, issue 10, e13263. PMCID: PMC2952583
  • Jeyabalan, A., Powers, R.W., Clifton, R.G., Van Dorsten, P., Hauth, J.C., Klebanoff, M.A., Lindheimer, M.D., Sibai, B., Landon, M., and Miodovnik, M. for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network. (2010) Effect of Smoking on Circulating Angiogenic Factors in High Risk Pregnancies. PLoS ONE. Vol 5, issue 10, e13270. PMCID: PMC2953508
  • Roberts JM, Bodnar LM, Patrick TE, Powers RW. The Role of Obesity in Preeclampsia. Pregnancy Hypertension 2011;1(1):6-16. PMCID: PMC3082136
  • Powers, R.W., Roberts, J.M., Plymire, D.A., Pucci, D., Datwyler, S.A., Laird, D.M., Sogin, D.C., Jeyabalan, A., Hubel, C.A., and Gandley, R.E. (2012) Low Maternal PlGF Across Pregnancy Identifies a Subset of Women with Preterm Preeclampsia; Type 1 vs. Type 2 Preeclampsia? Hypertension. Online May 29, 2012. NIHMSID 389165 PMCID: PMC3578235
  • Staff, A.C., Benton, S.J., von Dadelszen, P., Roberts, J.M., Taylor, R.N., Powers, R.W., Charnock-Jones, D.S., Redman, C.W. (2013) Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: redefining preeclampsia using placental-derived biomarkers. Hypertension. 61(5):932-42, 2013 May. UI: 23460278