Dr. Stanic-Kostic's Research

Stanic lab is focused on deciphering the role of Innate Lymphoid cells and immune cellular networks in the architectural organization of the maternal/fetal interface.

His research program is dedicated to unravelling the cellular networks underlying preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, recurrent pregnancy loss and implantation failure in Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Our lab employs both human and mouse models of reproductive physiology and disease. We use genetic targeting of immune cell development and function to dissect their role in reproductive tissue organization and disease. We collaborate closely with biostatisticians and computer scientists to develop novel workflows for analysis of our high-dimensional flow cytometry data sets and model the reproductive immune cell networks.

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REI Division members lead sessions at 2023 ASRM Congress

Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Director Bala Bhagavath, MD, and Associate Professor Aleks Stanic-Kostic, MD, PhD, led sessions at this year’s American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress on October 14-18 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Bhagavath presented Cesarean Scar Isthmoceles: When and How to Diagnose and Treat Surgically.

Stanic-Kostic led a full day course focussed on Translating Bench Research to the Clinical Management of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss as well as a clinical session No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, or Why We Should Stick with Professional Guidelines. 

The ASRM Congress in general aims to give top experts in the reproductive medicine field a chance to share their research and discover new information. Congratulations to both speakers and all of ASRM Congress’s presenters!

**by Paige Stevenson, Ob-Gyn Communications Intern

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Cooney, Stanic co-author publication in Women

Associate Professor Laura Cooney, MD, and Associate Professor Aleks Stanic-Kostic, MD, PhD, both of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, co-authored a recent study in the journal Women. 

In “Rapid Ovarian Reserve Decline in a Woman with Pericentric Inv(9) Variant”, Cooney, Stanic, and lead author Leeann Bui, MD, UW SMPH graduate and current ob-gyn resident at Stanford Medicine, present a case study of a patient who experienced a rapid decline in ovarian reserve and data from the literature about a possible connection to Pericentric Inv(9) Variant, a chromosomal variation. 

Read the whole paper here! 

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Golos, Stanic receive NIH R21 grant

Congratulations to Ted Golos, PhD, professor in the School of Veterinary Sciences and the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Sciences, and Aleks Stanic, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Divisions of Reproductive Sciences and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility! They received a new NIH R21 grant for the project “Gestationally driven trafficking of decidual lymphocytes assessed by serial intravascular staining”. 

With this grant, Golos, Stanic, and their research teams will study the trafficking of peripheral blood immune cells to the endometrium in the luteal phase, and the decidua in pregnancy, in rhesus macaques. 

Incredible work, all! 

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Banerjee, Stanic, Cooney published in Immunohorizons

Congratulations to Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology graduate student Soma Banerjee, MD, who is lead author on a new article in the journal Immunohorizons! Aleks Stanic-Kostic, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Divisions of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Reproductive Sciences, and Laura Cooney, MD, associate professor in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, co-authored the article.

In “Immune Dysfunction in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome”, Banerjee and co-authors evaluate the current literature on the relationship between PCOS and immune abnormalities, with a focus on emerging research in the field.

Read the whole article here!

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Stanic, Ong Labs publish in the Journal of Immunology

A new study in collaboration between the Stanic and Ong research groups in the UW Department of Ob-Gyn will be published in the July 2023 issue of the Journal of Immunology!

“Proteogenomic and V(D)J Analysis of Human Decidual T Cells Highlights Unique Transcriptional Programming and Clonal Distribution”, by Deborah A. Chasman; Rene Welch Schwartz; Jessica Vazquez; Melina Chavarria; Eryne T. Jenkins; Gladys E. Lopez; Chanel T. Tyler; Aleksandar K. Stanic; Irene M. Ong, uses multiomics analysis to reveal regulation of fetal–maternal immune coexistence. The study was selected by the Journal of Immunology editors as a Top Read for the upcoming July issue. The study and its authors will be featured on the Journal of Immunology social media.

The Journal of Immunology is a preeminent basic science journal in the field, and to have the journal choose to feature translational or clinical-adjacent work is truly an exceptional honor.

You can see the study here; keep an eye on the Journal of Immunology Twitter for the future posts about this study and these incredible research teams!

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UW Ob-Gyn presentations at 2023 Society for Reproductive Investigation Conference

In March 2023, the Society for Reproductive Investigation hosted their 70th Annual Scientific Meeting in Brisbane, Australia. Members of the UW Department of Ob-Gyn brought fantastic representation to the meeting: 

Irene Ong, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Reproductive Sciences, was invited to present during the “Circulating Factors Regulating Maternal/Fetal Immunity” symposium. She presented “Integration of multi-omics datasets (Spatial, scRNAseq, CITEseq, VDJseq) at the Maternal-fetal interface”. 

Aleks Stanic-Kostic, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Divisions of Reproductive Sciences and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, was invited to present during the “Circulating Factors Regulating Maternal/Fetal Immunity” symposium. His talk was “T cell dysregulation in preeclampsia at a single cell level”. 

Stanic co-chaired the Parturition III mini-symposium during the conference. He also presented in two career development sessions:  

“How to be a Good & Creative Mentor” - Mid-Career Session 

“Writing to Win the Grant” - Connections Corner (for junior investigators) 

Joint work by the Ong and Stanic Labs was selected for oral presentation during the Preeclampsia session. Project collaborator Ai-Ris Collier, MD, presented “Single Cell Multi-Omic Analysis of Intervillous Lymphocytes in Preeclampsia” on behalf of Rene Welch (Ong Lab) and Jessica Vazquez (formerly Stanic Lab).  

Soma Banerjee, MD, graduate student in the Stanic Lab, received a President’s New Investigator Plenary Award for her Plenary Oral presentation "High-Dimensional Flow Cytometry Analysis of Immune Cell Subsets in Circulation and Follicular Microenvironment in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.” 

Incredible work, all!   

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Division of Reproductive Sciences prepares impressive slate of research for Society for Reproductive Investigation conference

The 2022 Society for Reproductive Investigation’s Annual Scientific Meeting, held in Denver, CO between March 15-19, features several presentations, posters and abstracts from members of the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Sciences! Just some of their exciting accomplishments:

Clinical and Translational Perinatology Oral Presentation:

Breastfeeding Promotes Predominant Bifidobacterium in Farm-Exposed Infants
Deborah Chasman, Krittisak Chaiyakul, Samantha Fye, James E Gern, Susan V Lynch, Christine M Seroogy, Irene M Ong

Maternal Biology and Health oral presentation:

Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) Increases Mean Arterial Pressure by Impairing Endothelial Nitric Oxide-Mediated Vasodilation and Enhancing Angiotensin II-Mediated Vascular Contraction in Pregnant Rats
Sri V Dangudubiyyam, Jay S Mishra, Ruolin Song, Sathish Kumar

Preeclampsia oral presentation:

Preeclampsia Differentially Dysregulates Female and Male Fetal Endothelial Cells Function and Transcriptomic Profiles in Lean and Obese Pregnancies.
Chi Zhou, Allison Yang, Colman Freel, Olivia Mills, Jing Zheng

Preeclampsia II Oral Presentation session, moderated by Aishwarya Rengarajan

Abstracts:

An Endogenous Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligand Induces Preeclamptic Phenotypes in Rats. Ying-jie Zhao, Chi Zhou, Hui-hui Li, Jay S Mishra, Sathish Kumar, Jing Zheng

Follicular Immune Signature of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in Women Undergoing Infertility Treatment. Soma Banerjee, Fernanda B Levya Jaimes, Abigail A Zettel, Eryne T Jenkins, Jason Austin, Laura G Cooney, Aleksander K Stanic

Immunohistochemical Localization of ACE2 in the Male Reproductive Tract in the Rhesus Macaque: Implications for Nonhuman Primate Model Development for COVID-19. Hayly Hinkle, Sierra Block, Ann Mitzey, Jenna Schmidt, Gregory Wiepz, Thaddeus G. Golos

Estradiol Protects Against Gestational Intermittent Hypoxia-Induced Hypertension and Metabolic Dysfunctions in the Adult Female Offspring. Ruolin Song, Jay S Mishra, Sri V Dangudubiyyam, Jyoti Watters, Tracy Baker, Sathish Kumar

Novel Role of Angiotensin Type 2 Receptor in Promoting Angiogenesis in Primary Human Uterine Artery Endothelial Cells. Jay S Mishra, Sri V Dangudubiyyam, Ruolin Song, Dong-Bao Chen, Sathish Kumar

Endothelial Dysfunction in Preeclampsia: The Story of the Interleukins. Rachel L Dahn, Amanda C Ampey, Jason L Austin, Ian M Bird

Congratulations to all!

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Stanic, Golos earn pilot grant from Wisconsin National Primate Research Center

Congratulations to Aleks Stanic, MD, PhD, associate professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Divisions of Reproductive Sciences and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and Ted Golos, PhD, professor and Chair of the Department of Comparative Biosciences in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine! They are co-investigators on a pilot grant from the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center.

Stanic and Golos received funding for the project “Gestationally Driven Traffic of Decidual Leukocytes”, which will use a new serial intravascular staining methodology to study the trafficking of peripheral blood immune cells to the maternal-fetal interface in nonhuman primates. The $50,000 grant supports direct costs over two years.

Incredible work, Dr. Stanic and Dr. Golos!

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Stanic promoted to Associate Professor with tenure

We are thrilled to announce that Aleks Stanic-Kostic, MD, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Divisions of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Reproductive Sciences has been promoted to Associate Professor (tenure track). The promotion will be effective July 1, 2022.

Since joining the UW Department of Ob-Gyn in 2014, Stanic has earned a reputation as a talented researcher, educator and clinician. Just a few of Stanic’s impressive accomplishments over the last few years include research grants like multiple Reproductive Scientist Development Program grants, the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund grant, and the Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar grant to study the role of the immune system in pregnancy; publishing countless papers; and earning mentorship awards.

Congratulations, Dr. Stanic, on this incredible accomplishment!

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Stanic Lab published in American Journal of Reproductive Immunology

A new article out of collaborative research between Aleks Stanic-Kostic, MD, PhD and Irene Ong, PhD was published in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology!

“Multiomic analysis reveals decidual-specific transcriptional programing of MAIT cells” examines the possible role of Mucosal-Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells in tissue-repair mechanisms at the maternal-fetal interface. Stanic Lab members Jessica Vazquez, PhD and Melina Chavarria are shared first authors on the publication, while Stanic and Ong are senior authors.

Read the whole publication here!

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Stanic presents at NICHD workshop on early pregnancy loss

Aleks Stanic, MD, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Divisions of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Reproductive Sciences, was recently invited to speak as part of a group of experts at the NIH National Institute on Child Health and Human Development’s workshop “Idiopathic/Non-aneuploid Early Pregnancy Loss: The State of the Science”. Stanic presented as part of the session  “Impact of Maternal Health, Infection and Immunological Factors”.

Stanic gave the lecture "Leveraging integration of single cell data to unravel decidual immunology":

“Lymphocytes at the maternal-fetal interface are a complex mixture of innate and adaptive immune cells, dynamically responding to changing local and systemic signals across the continuum of pregnancy. Their alterations are implicated in full spectrum of pregnancy pathology – from euploid miscarriage to preeclampsia, preterm labor and abruption. Understanding of mechanisms underlying the pivotal role lymphocytes have at the decidua is undergoing a revolution due to increasing availability of single cell analysis platforms at the transcriptome, antigen receptor repertoire, surface proteome and epigenome levels. While this deluge of data has allowed for discovery of novel cell types and revealed new and unexpected functions of decidual lymphocytes, unbiased analysis and integration of such datasets is the rate-limiting step impeding progress in reproductive immunology. Herein, we will discuss methods for normalization, matching, and analysis of single cell RNA sequencing data reflecting decidual T cell gene expression, limited surface proteomes and V(D)J repertoire. We will additionally discuss the opportunity to match and use scRNAseq data in conjunction with previously available bulk/sorted cell sequencing data to expand our ability to interpret existing datasets. Taken together, we aim to address gaps in our understanding of decidual immunology necessary to address the scourge of unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss.” 

The presentation was reflective of collaborative efforts between the Stanic Lab and the Ong Lab, led by Irene Ong, PhD. In an exciting first, Stanic’s lecture was mentioned on the NICHD Twitter!

Incredible work, Dr. Stanic!

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Stanic earns best poster award at ASRI annual meeting

Our congratulations to Aleks Stanic-Kostic, MD, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Divisions of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Reproductive Sciences! He attended the American Society for Reproductive Immunology virtual meeting in May, where he won the Best Poster award.

Stanic received the award for the poster “The integration of disparate single cell data in decidual immunology reveals restriction of inflammatory T cell fate at the maternal-fetal interface.”

Incredible work, Dr. Stanic!

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Lindsey Block, of Golos Lab, published in Biology of Reproduction

Lindsey Block, graduate student in the Golos Lab, is first author on a recent paper in the journal Biology of Reproduction entitled “The promise of placental extracellular vesicles: models and challenges for diagnosing placental dysfunction in utero”.

Co-authors include Aleks Stanic, MD, PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Divisions of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Reproductive Sciences, and Ted Golos, PhD, of the Division of Reproductive Sciences.  

Block’s paper was featured in the Weekly News email from the Society for the Study of Reproduction. Read the whole article here. Congratulations to the publication team!

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