Dr. Kuokkanen’s primary research interest is women’s health with a focus on endometrial functions in response to female sex steroids. Despite the long-known fact that estrogen stimulates and progesterone suppresses endometrial cell proliferation and induces differentiation, our current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms mediating the sex-steroidal effects on the human and mouse endometrium remain unknown. Additionally, the molecular pathways essential for endometrial receptivity for embryo implantation remain largely to be discovered. Specifically, Dr. Kuokkanen studies the role of microRNAs in regulating endometrial gene and protein expression. Additionally, Dr. Kuokkanen investigates the impact of a recently discovered group of pharmaceutical agents, selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRM) on endometrial cell proliferation and differentiation. This valuable investigation will help to elucidate novel functional networks in endometrial physiology and ultimately lead to increased understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in endometrial pathology.
