Michelle L. Oyen, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Women’s Health Engineering
Assoc. Prof., Department of Biomedical Engineering
Washington University in St. Louis
Seminar Information
Preterm birth affects approximately ten percent of pregnancies. Bioengineering investigations of pregnancy have great potential to explore fundamental aspects of reproductive physiology that are otherwise difficult to investigate, taking advantage of in vitro and in silico approaches. Biophysical functions relating to the extra-embryonic tissues (fetal membranes and placenta) are critical in establishing and maintaining a successful pregnancy from early implantation to full-term gestation. In this context, the biomechanical properties of uterine tissues, including decidua and endometrium, are measured and considered in the context of uterine rupture after C-section. In vivo behavior is modeled in a microfluidics assay of trophoblast cell migration using a hydrogel with a cytokine chemical gradient. The placenta’s function later in gestation—established only when early placentation has been successful—is examined using computational multiphysics modeling of oxygen diffusion and capillary blood flow in placental terminal villi exchange units. Finally, the fracture of fetal membranes is reviewed in the context of preterm birth: the “breaking of waters” before full-term gestation is surprisingly common and poorly understood. Possible tissue engineering interventions to prolong pregnancy will be discussed. With the recent worldwide attention given to poor maternal and fetal outcomes, fundamental bioengineering research into the mechanisms of preterm birth is timely and necessary.
Michelle L. Oyen is the inaugural Director of the new Center for Women’s Health Engineering, based in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to her current appointment, she was on the faculty at the University of Cambridge (2006–18) in the UK and then briefly at East Carolina University (2018–21). Michelle has degrees in Materials Science and Engineering (BS), Engineering Mechanics (MS), and a PhD in Biophysical Sciences. She has worked on many problems in tissue biomechanics and biomimetic materials. She has researched engineering approaches to pregnancy and women’s health for over twenty years, particularly in methods to prevent, diagnose, and intervene in preterm birth. Current research projects include multi-scale modeling of placenta function, microstructural fracture models for amniotic sac rupture, and physical properties of the healthy and pathological uterus.