Ramkumar Menon's Biography

Ramkumar Menon, Associate Professor, The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)

Dr. Ramkumar Menon, is an Associate Professor (with tenure) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, Texas, USA. He joined UTMB in 2011. Dr. Menon is a Perinatal Reproductive Biologist, working in the field for the past 27 years, specifically in the area of spontaneous preterm birth and preterm premature rupture of the membranes. He received his under graduate degree in Medical Laboratory Technology (University of Kerala, India; 1998), Masters in Microbiology and Immunology (Wright State University, Dayton, OH, USA; 1993) and PhD in Perinatal Genetic Epidemiology (Arhus University, Arhus, Denmark; 2007). He served as director of the Perinatal Research Center in Nashville, TN, USA between 1995-2011. He is instrumental in establishing biobanks for studying genetic epidemiologic risk factors of preterm birth. Besides these studies, using human fetal membranes (amniochorion) as the model system, Dr. Menon has studied fetal immune response to various endogenous and exogenous risk exposures that can contribute to preterm birth. Dr. Menon reported telomere associated progressive development of human fetal membrane senescence during gestation that peaks at term corresponding with fetal growth. Recently, Dr. Menon’s laboratory has shown that senescence associated signals, primarily inflammatory signals, can propagate from fetal to maternal tissues to cause parturition associated inflammatory changes. This is considered as ‘biologic clock’ and a novel mechanism indicating fetal readiness for parturition. Dr. Menon has reported that propagation of senescence associated inflammation is primarily by extracellular vesicles, specifically exosomes. Extensive work using animal models by The Menon laboratory has reported feto-maternal communication via exosomes and how exosomes can trigger term and preterm parturition. The Menon laboratory is also exploring the usefulness of exosomes as biomarkers of preterm birth. Besides exosome based commination studies, senescent fetal membranes from The Menon laboratory has shown ‘microfractures’, structural alteration in fetal membranes that are likely site of cellular remodeling. Excessive number of microfractures are associated with fetal membrane rupture at term and preterm. Analysis of fetal membrane remodeling revealed inflammation and oxidative stress associated Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) of fetal membrane amnion cells that are recycled back to epithelial cells to regenerate cellular gaps by progesterone mediated Mesenchymal Epithelial Transition (MET). Dr. Menon’s laboratory is funded by multiple grants from NIH as well as funds from March of Dimes, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among others. Dr. Menon is the Executive Director of Preterm Birth International Collaborative (PREBIC, Inc), a not for profit organization working to promote clinical translational research to reduce the risk of prematurity. Dr. Menon has authored/co-authored over 250 peer reviewed articles, reviews and book chapters.