Dr. Donna Michelle Slater

Positions

Professor

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology

Co-Director

Cumming School of Medicine, Bachelor of Health Sciences

Child Health & Wellness Researcher

Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Owerko Centre

Full Member

Inflammation Research Network

Contact information

dmslater@ucalgary.ca

Phone number

Office: 403.210.7660
Lab: 403.210.8844

Location

Office: HMRB277

Background

Educational Background

BSc Biochemistry, Coventry University, 1988

DSc Genetics, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, 1995

Research

Areas of Research

Molecular Mechanisms

Pregnancy

Preterm Birth

Activities

In obstetrics, abnormal or inappropriate myometrial contractions can cause major clinical problems such as pre-term labour or post-partum hemorrhage. Prostaglandins and their receptors have been widely implicated in the process of parturition, but underlying signaling pathways involved remain poorly understood. Our research focuses on the role and regulation of prostaglandin synthesis and prostaglandin receptor signaling within the uterus (and specifically the myometrial smooth muscle) during pregnancy and parturition.

Specific projects include:

Functional characterization of the responses to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and the roles of the individual PGE2 (EP) receptors in different regions of the uterus.Defining the signaling pathway(s) by which PGE2 inhibits both contraction and inflammatory cytokine output in myometrial smooth muscle (MSM): The role of cAMP-dependent kinase protein kinase A (PKA). I am using an adenoviral mediated gene transfer of the highly selective inhibitor of PKA, protein kinase inhibitor a (PKIa) to investigate the role of PKA in MSM cells.Determining the role of the transcription factor NF-kB in the production of, and response to, PGE2 in myometrial smooth muscle.