Buxton Lab

Mission

To understand how the myometrium muscle is maintained in a relaxed state during gestation to prevent preterm labor and develop life-saving treatments.

Key areas of focus

  • Exploring contraction-relaxation coupling in the uterine myometrium to better understand the causes of preterm labor.
  • Examining the action of nitric oxide (NO) in the myometrium muscle.
  • Researching splice variants of the stretch-activated channel TREK-1.
  • Contributing to the development of novel treatments for spontaneous preterm labor.

Lab team

Iain Buxton, Ph.D., is a professor of Pharmacology specializing in the study of preterm labor. The Buxton Lab aims to identify the causes of preterm labor while advancing the development of effective tocolytics. The lab's groundbreaking discoveries have led to the development of a drug that has the potential to prevent preterm labor.

  • Iain Buxton, Ph.D.: Principal Investigator
  • Scott D. Barnett: Principal Investigator

Notable research findings

  • Discovered that there is a distinct difference in the proteins that are nitrosated by S- nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) in myometrium in disparate states of pregnancy.
  • Proposed the Nucleotide Axis Hypothesis to explain the moment-to-moment regulation of blood flow in the heart where nerves do not control flow.
  • Furthered the advancement of tocolytic treatments for early labor leading to preterm birth.
  • Established one of the largest repositories of human myometrium in the country to support this ground-breaking research.

Equipment, technology and techniques

  • In vivo animal imaging
  • Flow cytometry
  • Confocal and super-resolution microscopy
  • Single cell bioprinting

Active grants and research projects

  1. Post Designed Multi-Ligands as Tocolytics for Dysregulated Myometrial Pathways in the Treatment of Preterm Labor.
    • Award: R21 HD112011-01A1
    • Funding organization: National Institute of Health (NIH)
  2. MMP9 Modulation of Uterine Contraction and Birth Timing.
    • Award: R01 HD100624
    • Funding organization: National Institute of Health (NIH)
  3. Post-Translational Modification of Cx43 Regulates Myometrial Quiescence.
    • Award: R21 HD108728-A1
    • Funding organization: National Institute of Health (NIH)
  4. Regulation of CAP Protein S-Nitrosation in Preterm Labor.
    • Award: R01 HD091114-01A1
    • Funding organization: National Institute of Health (NIH)