Asgi Fazleabas, PhD

Asgi Fazleabas is a University Distinguished Professor and Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology and the Director of the MSU Center for Women’s Health Research. His research laboratory, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, is focused on understanding the basic biology of endometriosis. Current studies in his laboratory are focused on the inflammatory signals mediated by the cytokine IL-6 to regulate NOTCH1 signaling. NOTCH1 is overexpressed in endometriotic lesions in both baboons and women with endometriosis, suggesting that the NOTCH1 signaling pathway actively promotes endometriotic lesion development. The studies demonstrate that direct binding of the E- protein transcription factors E2A and HEB that are induced by IL-6, which is present in the inflammatory peritoneal environment and secreted primarily by ectopic tissues, up-regulate NOTCH1. The increase in NOTCH1, in turn, promotes endometriotic lesion development by controlling cell proliferation and invasion and provides a novel mechanism for targeted therapy.