Assistant professor
University of Texas Medical Branch
Lauren Richardson is a Lamar alumnus with a BS degree in Biology and a McNair Scholar. Dr. Richardson obtained her Ph.D. in Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Reproductive Biology, from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (UTMB). While receiving training from the Environmental Toxicology T32 at UTMB, her research focused on the mechanistic processes of fetal membrane cellular and collagen remodeling (i.e., Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition [EMT] and MET) throughout gestation and its dysregulation at term. She conducted her Post-Doctoral fellowship at UTMB (Kempner Scholar) and at Texas A&Ms Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (T32 Post-Doctoral Fellowship) focusing on fabricating, developing, and validating pregnancy-related organ-on-chip devices (i.e., placenta, fetal membranes, and cervix) to study the effect of maternal and fetal risk factors (i.e., Oxidative stress, toxicants, infection, drugs) on the induction of preterm labor pathways. She is now an Assistant faculty at UTMB in the Division of Basic and Translational Research where she focuses on bridging the gap between bench-to-bedside research by merging advanced engineering and biology concepts. Her research focuses on two areas. One, adapting microfluidic devices to collect underutilized biological fluids for biomarker screening, and two, to develop novel organ-on-chip devices that physiologically recreate in utero organs and organ systems.