Magee-Womens Research Institute: Student Research Assistant

Since October 2024, I have worked as an undergraduate researcher at UPMC's Magee-Womens Research Institute in the Translational Research Laboratories in Urogynecology (TRLU) under principal investigator Dr. Pamela Moalli. TRLU is a leading force in research on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. The Moalli lab particularly focuses on the long-term effects of the implantation of synthetic urogynecologic meshes in women, and develops biologically responsive materials that closely match the structural and mechanical properties of native vaginal tissue.

In the lab, I am the primary undergraduate student assisting with one of the lab's newest projects: characterizing the pubovisceral muscle enthesis. The pubovisceral muscle enthesis is a largely unresearched band of tissue that may play a key role in women's susceptibility to pelvic organ prolapse. This project is part of an ongoing effort to better understand the anatomic and biomechanical contributors to pelvic floor disorders in women.

I utilize histological techniques to investigate the tissue composition of the enthesis. Specifically, I prepare and stain tissue sections using a variety of stains—primarily Picrosirius Red—which selectively highlights collagen subtypes under polarized light. Following staining, I image these stained tissue sections using a Nikon Eclipse Ni microscope and Nikon NIS-Elements imaging software. I then compile these images into slideshows to compare them with adjacent sections stained using alternative methods, identifying present tissue types based on the characteristics highlighted by each stain.

Using this comparative approach, it is possible to more precisely identify the collagenous, fibrous, and muscular components that make up the enthesis. This will help elucidate its structure and potential function in supporting the pelvic floor, supporting ongoing research into novel material and surgical technique development.