Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology Program

Sathish Kumar

Position title: Associate Professor, Comparative Biosciences

Email: skumar82@wisc.edu

Phone: Placenta biology; preeclampsia; hypertension

Address:
Education

DVM 1996 Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, India.
Masters in Veterinary Pharmacology 1999, Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, India.
Ph.D. 2003 Veterinary Pharmacology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, India.
Postdoctoral Fellow 2007, Cardiovascular Toxicology, Department of Environmental Toxicology, Southern University, Louisiana.
Postdoctoral Fellow 2009, Cardiovascular Physiology and Perinatal Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Texas.

Sathish Kumar. Associate Professor, Comparative Biosciences. Placenta biology; preeclampsia; hypertension

NIH Biosketch
Publications
Laboratory Website

Research Focus

My laboratory examines questions of vascular and placental biology relevant to human health and disease. We use both animal models as well as human clinical materials in our studies. Under this broad focus, research areas include:

  1. Pregnancy associated adaptations and implications for pathophysiology of preeclampsia: To understand the mechanisms of vascular adaptations and placental functions during pregnancy and how alterations in endocrine hormones (e.g. androgens, renin angiotensin system, etc) lead to development of preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction.
  2. Fetal origins of hypertension: Examine how hormonal changes and other adverse perinatal environment cause reprogramming of fetal organs to lead to development of adult life hypertension.
  3. Sex-specific hypertension mechanisms: Examine why normal vascular and endothelial functions and hypertension signaling mechanisms are different between males and females and how sex steroid hormones play a regulatory role. This will help develop sex specific antihypertensive treatment strategies.
  4. Therapeutic implications: To develop nutritional and pharmacologic therapeutic strategies that will have a practical clinical potential for prevention and treatment of abnormal maternal vascular adaptations and programming of hypertension.

These studies will offer exciting insights in understanding the mechanisms that contribute for abnormal maternal vascular adaptations and perinatal origins of adult diseases, and develop strategic ways to improve the lives of pregnant women and their children. The impact of this research is likely to have significant positive repercussions in other programmable adult diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Program Activities

  • Joined ERP Program: 2018
  • ERP T32 Faculty Trainer
  • Teaching
    • OBS&GYN 710: Reproductive Endocrine Physiology

Trainees

Current ERP students

  • Alissa Hofmann (PhD in progress)

Past ERP students

    Sri Dangudubiyyam, PhD ’24