Vijay Pratap Singh

My broad interest is to understand the role of genome maintenance in the cells of the developing placenta and its impact on placental development. The placenta is an essential organ in eutherian mammals and acts as an interface between the fetus and mother. My laboratory will use the diverse molecular, cellular, genetic, and proteomics tools available in M. musculus and human cells to identify the regulators of genome maintenance in different placental cell types. My central hypothesis is that placental physiology relies on the regulation of genome maintenance, with increased genomic instability driving cellular senescence that impacts placental aging, parturition, and embryo development. My research program has immediate implications for maternal-fetal health but may also have broader implications for understanding fundamental molecular ties between genome maintenance and signaling that underlie cancer and aging.