Join a Study

SHOW-ME: Study of fetal Health Outcomes: Working with a Missouri E-telehealth Platform

What is the purpose? The purpose of this study is to understand the successes, barriers and preferences for both providers and patients for a newer technology, home fetal monitoring. Home fetal monitoring allows for patients to undergo their routine obstetrical care but from the comfort of their own homes. The results from this study will help other OB offices across the state utilize this important technology in a safe and effective way while reducing barriers to care, namely transportation.
Who is eligible? Any pregnant person who is 18 years of age or greater, speaks English, and receives their care from University of Missouri and requires maternal-fetal medicine surveillance (i.e have a reason for fetal monitoring). 
What is required? You will be asked about participating at any time during pregnancy prior to 31 weeks while in the MFM office. Prior to enrollment, you will be asked about access to a smart device and home internet. You will be instructed on how to access the application where you will undergo a short introductory video on how to use the equipment at home and how to contact someone for help if your equipment is not working. The amount of fetal testing will not be altered, rather you will be performing it at home rather than at the office. You will have an assigned time to turn on your device and log on to your application. Your non-stress test will begin at your assigned time and the information will be transmitted to your doctor. Your doctor will read the exam and let you know the results that day. Once you have delivered, you will be asked to send the equipment back to the company in a pre-labeled box. 
How long will I be in the study? You will participate from the time of enrollment until delivery. You will be in the study from 32 weeks until the time of delivery.
Meet the Investigator: Karen L Florio DO MPH
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

REBIRTH: Randomized Evaluation of Bromocriptine In Myocardial Recovery THerapy for Peripartum Cardiomyopathy 

What is the purpose? The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a type of medication, Bromocriptine, in the recovery of heart function for people diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Who is eligible? Any patient who is currently pregnant or pregnant within the last 5 months of delivery who was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction (EF) of less than or equal to 40%. 
What is required?If you choose to participate, you will be randomly chosen to either receive a placebo medicine or bromocriptine for 8 weeks. You may also be asked to take a blood thinner as well as your medication. You will be asked to undergo echocardiograms or ultrasounds of your heart at 6 months and 12 months after delivery. Researchers will also ask to draw your blood three times in the year after delivery. 
How long will I be in the study? You will be asked to participate in the study from the time of enrollment until 1 year after delivery.
Meet the Investigator: Karen L Florio DO MPH
Complete Screening Eligibility Form

Epigenetic Biomarkers of Fetal Growth Restriction in Maternal Blood 

What is the purpose? The purpose is to identify markers that can be used to follow fetal growth during pregnancy using a simple blood test
Who is eligible? Pregnant women (age 18+) in the MU Health Care system in their first trimester or pregnancies diagnosed with fetal growth restrictions. 
What is required? During your first trimester, you will give an extra blood sample at your standard care lab visit coordinated by your prenatal provider. During your third trimester, you will give an extra blood sample at your standard care lab (28-week glucose tolerance test) visit coordinated by your prenatal provider. When you deliver, you will give an extra blood sample that will be taken by your labor and delivery nurse, who will take standard-of-care labs. A placenta and cord blood sample will be taken before it is discarded by hospital standard procedure. 
How long will I be in the study? You will participate from the time of enrollment until delivery.
Meet the Investigator: Rene Cortese, PhD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

Establishment of a Mother-Child Cohort for Monitoring Developmental Origins of Disease

What is the purpose? The purpose is to examine the relationship between a mother's overall health during pregnancy and the health of her child(ren).
Who is eligible? Pregnant women (age 18+) in the MU Health Care system in their first or second trimester. 
What is required? During your first trimester, you will give an extra blood and urine sample at your standard care lab visit coordinated by your prenatal provider. A six-question survey will be sent to your HealthConnect portal account to observe your sleep quality. During your second trimester, a six-question survey will be sent to your HealthConnect portal account to observe your sleep quality.
During your third trimester, you will give an extra blood sample at your standard care lab (28-week glucose tolerance test) visit coordinated by your prenatal provider. A six-question survey will be sent to your HealthConnect portal account to observe your sleep quality. You will also give a urine sample at approximately 36 weeks at a standard OB appointment. At delivery, you will give an extra blood sample taken by your labor and delivery nurse, who will take standard-of-care labs. A placenta and cord blood sample will be taken before it is discarded by hospital standard procedure. 
How long will I be in the study? You will participate from the time of enrollment until delivery. 
Meet the Investigator: Rene Cortese, PhD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

 Functional Effects of MHC Regulation on Development of In Vitro Human Placental Models

What is the purpose? We are doing this study because we want to know more about how the immune system in pregnant women is involved in function of the placenta (the sac between the mother and fetus). We hope to learn how the placenta protects the fetus from the mother’s immune system.
Who is eligible?  Pregnant women (age 18-45) of any gestational age in the MU Health Care system in general good health
What is required? When you go to your blood draw during this visit, two extra tubes of blood will be drawn for our study. This will only happen once and will be about 4 teaspoons of blood.
How long will I be in the study? You will be in the study until your blood is drawn.
Meet the Investigators: Danny Schust, MD, and Sehee Choi, PhD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

Characterization of circulating DNA and exosomes in human follicular fluid from patients undergoing IVF procedures

What is the purpose? We are doing this study because we would like to identify genetic material in the fluid within the ovary, called the follicular fluid. We hope to identify markers that can be used to predict the fertility capacity of the oocytes before the IVF procedure is conducted.
Who is eligible? Women undergoing IVF procedure (18+) in the MU Health Care system
What is required? If you decide to participate in this study, the liquid in which the egg is retrieved during your standard IVF procedure will be saved instead of discarded and transferred to the research lab for investigation. No more samples will be collected from you at any point of your treatment. We will also ask you to reply to a very brief questionnaire about your sleep habits.
How long will I be in the study? You will be in this study for about 2 weeks, from the collection of the sample during oocyte retrieval until the results of the IVF procedure are available.
Meet the Investigator: Rene Cortese, PhD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

Characteristics of Human Term Placenta: A Tissue Bank  

What is the purpose? The purpose is to study the relationship between the development of a mother's placenta and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and pre-eclampsia, which is high blood pressure during pregnancy. 
Who is eligible? Pregnant women (age 18+) in the MU Health Care system in their third trimester  ;
What is required? At delivery, a placenta sample will be taken before it is discarded by hospital standard procedure.
How long will I be in the study? You will participate from the time of enrollment until delivery.
Meet the Investigators: Danny Schust, MD; Laura Schulz, PhD; and Gary Clark, PhD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

Women’s Reproductive Health and Disease: A Gynecologic Biobank

What is the purpose? Our overarching research goal is to improve women’s reproductive health. This includes enhancing oncology outcomes, fertility outcomes, fertility management and mitigating or reducing the occurrence of reproductive dysfunction or disease. Some of the specific areas we focus on are early pregnancy establishment, uterine repair after pregnancy, endometriosis, endometrial cancer, uterine fibroids, cervical cancer and ovarian cancer, to name a few. To do this we investigate both normal function of reproductive organs/tissues as well as diseased states. Another important part of this research is preparing for future studies saving (or banking) portions of research specimens in anticipation of future use. This way, specimens don’t go to waste.
Who is eligible? Women undergoing gynecologic surgery for benign or malignant indications in the MU Health Care System (18+) for whom reproductive tract tissue or ascites fluid would otherwise be discarded.
What is required? We invite you to take part in this study because you are having a gynecological procedure or surgery, and we would like to use the tissues removed during your surgery for research that would otherwise be discarded.
How long will I be in the study? This is a one-time commitment on your part if you choose to agree to allow us to study your uterine tissue.
Meet the Investigators: Mark Hunter, MD; Amanda Patterson, PhD; Laura Schulz, PhD; Andrew Kelleher, PhD; Shiying Jin, PhD, Jae-Wook Jeong, PhD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

Regulation of the Endometrium by Endometrial Gland Secretions 

What is the purpose? The purpose is to study the development and function of uterine tissue to diagnose, treat and prevent infertility and disease in women. 
Who is eligible? Women (age 18-45) in the MU Health Care system who are scheduled to have a benign (non-cancerous) tubal ligation surgery. You cannot have been on hormone therapy, hormone medication (such as hormonal birth control, insulin or thyroid hormone) or pregnant within the last three months. 
What is required? When you enroll, our research staff will review and complete a consent form with you either by eConsent or at your pre-op visit scheduled with your provider. During your tubal ligation, your surgeon will take an endometrial biopsy from the cells of the uterus.
How long will I be in the study? You will participate from the time of enrollment until your day of surgery.
Compensation: You will be given a $100 gift card for participating in the study.
Meet the Investigator: Danny Schust, MD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form

The Role of Uterine Stem Cells in Health and Disease 

What is the purpose? The purpose is to study the development of uterine stem cells into fibroids and other uterine diseases to identify different treatment options from a hysterectomy.
Who is eligible? Women (age 18-45) in the MU Health Care system who are scheduled to have a benign (non-cancerous) hysterectomy surgery. Participants must be premenopausal. 
What is required? At enrollment, our research staff will review and complete a consent with you either by eConsent or at your pre-op visit scheduled with your provider. After your hysterectomy, a uterine sample will be taken before it is discarded by hospital standard procedure. 
How long will I be in the study? You will participate from the time of enrollment until your day of surgery.
Meet the Investigator: Amanda Patterson, PhD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form

Deciphering the Role of SUSD2 in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer 

What is the purpose? To study the development of ovarian cancer tumors and if those cells contribute to chemotherapy resistance and the spread of ovarian cancer. 
Who is eligible? Women (age 30-80) patients of Ellis Fischel Cancer Center who are planning to have a laparoscopic or open surgery for suspicion or diagnosis of ovarian cancer, pelvic mass or peritoneal carcinomatosis. 
What is required? At enrollment, an investigator (surgeon) of the study will review and complete a consent with you either by eConsent or at your pre-op visit. The tissue removed during your surgery will be sent to pathology and then processed for the experiment. There will not be any extra tissue collected from the surgery for research. Only tissue that is medically necessary for patient care will be removed. 
How long will I be in the study? You will participate from the time of enrollment until your day of surgery.  
Meet the Investigators: Amanda Patterson, PhD, and Mark Hunter, MD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

Endoscopic Total Vaginal Hysterectomy: A Feasibility Study

What is the purpose? The purpose is to determine if robotic surgery through the vagina is practical, safe and beneficial to patients. 
Who is eligible? Women (age 18+) patients of Ellis Fischel Cancer Center who are planning to have a laparoscopic or robotic-assisted hysterectomy for benign gynecologic disease, precancerous lesions, early stage low-grade endometrial cancer, risk-reducing surgery for mutations or transgender female to male.  
What is required? At enrollment, an investigator (surgeon) of the study will review and complete a consent with you either by eConsent or at your pre-op visit. The hysterectomy will be performed using a robotic surgical system and operative data will be collected to determine feasibility (ex. pain scores, total blood loss). After surgery, as an inpatient, your pain scores will be collected. Two weeks after surgery, your reported outcomes will be collected at a standard-of-care follow-up visit. Six weeks after surgery, your reported outcomes will be collected at a standard-of-car follow-up visit.
How long will I be in the study? You will participate in the study from the time of enrollment until your six-week follow-up visit. 
Meet the Investigator: Mark Hunter, MD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form 

Functional Characterization of Mesenchymal-epithelial Transition (MET)-derived Cells in Normal Endometrial Regeneration

What is the purpose? The purpose is to study the regulation of repair processes within the uterus to better understand how misregulation may contribute to uterine diseases and infertility in women.
Who is eligible? Women (age 18+) in the MU Health Care system who are scheduled to have a benign (non-cancerous) hysterectomy surgery. Participants must be premenopausal. 
What is required? At enrollment, research staff will review and complete a consent with you either by eConsent or at your pre-op visit scheduled with your provider. After your hysterectomy, a uterine sample will be taken before it is discarded by hospital standard procedure. 
How long will I be in the study? You will participate from the time of enrollment until your day of surgery. 
Meet the Investigator: Amanda Patterson, PhD
Complete Screening Eligibility Form