About me
Contact Information
phone: 217.545.5226
Dr. Braundmeier-Fleming is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at SIU School of Medicine. She is also a faculty member of the Simmons Cancer Institute.
Research Interests
The immune system plays a significant role in reproductive processes such as embryonic implantation and fetal development but also in reproductive diseases and disorders. One of the major regulators of our immune system are the microbial organisms (bacteria, fungi and viruses) that reside within every tissue of our body. The overall goals of my research are to: 1) Understand the mechanisms of maternal immune suppression during early pregnancy, 2) Understand the regulation of immune cells in the development of gynecological and obstetrical conditions (ie. endometriosis, preeclampsia, and preterm birth), 3) Identify microbial communities and communication between these communities and the host immune system with reproductive disorders and 4) Utilizing multi-factorial data (clinical, biological and patient history) for development of personalized treatment strategies and diagnostics. Investigating the biocomplexity and communication between our immune, microbial and reproductive systems will translate into the development of complementary and alternative therapies for treatment of reproductive disorders. Research topics that I am currently developing are:
- Dysregulation of immune cells in the onset of preterm birth.
- Immune suppression in the development of ectopic endometrial lesions.
- Modifying immune cell populations through dietary supplementation to enhance immune health.
- The identification of the microbiome profiles of reproductive disorders and there potential for diagnostics and intervention strategies.
Utilizing biomedical animal models, multi- disciplinary investigational approaches and current molecular and cellular biological techniques, I believe that knowledge gained from these proposals can quickly be translated and implemented into human and animal medicine.
Molecular and Cellular Biological Techniques
- Immune Cell Proliferation Assays
- ELIZA’s
- Quantitative PCR
- Amplicon/ Metagenomic/ Metatranscriptomic Microbial Sequencing
- Mammalian Cell Culture
- Immunohistochemistry
- SDS-PAGE
- FACS
- RNA interference
- Microbiome Bioinformatics
- Machine Learning
Gender
Education & training
Academic Location
Academic Office
Contact Info
Publications
Selected Publications Pub Med
Featured In
Representative Press Coverage
Endo foundation: https://www.endofound.org/how-one-researcher-is-turning-her-suffering-into-scientific-progress
Springfield Scene: Making a difference in Cancer Research; 2018, 5 (14) pages 10-12.
Women Unite in the battel against cancer, Illinois Times; March 30th 2018
https://illinoistimes.com/article-19845-women-unite-in-the-battle-against-cancer
YouTube: Endometriosis: A Researcher’s Personal Pain, March 23rd 2018
YouTube: The Future of the Biome & How Patients can help. March 23rd 2018
FoxNewsIllinois: Local doctor conducting new study for early endometriosis diagnosis
Seckin MD Endometriosis Center: Inflammation: A possible new source for early detection of endometriosis
https://www.drseckin.com/inflammation-a-possible-new-source-for-early-detection-of-endometriosis
Twitter: Dr. Braundmeier-Fleming from SIUSOM talks about using the Microbiome to predict preterm birth
https://twitter.com/yee_alyson/status/874659259157446656
WTAX Capitol radio group, Tuesday September 4th, 2018
https://wtax.com/podcasts/the-simmons-cancer-institutes-denim-and-diamonds-is-coming-up
WYMG Capitol radio group, Tuesday September 4th, 2018
WQQL Capitol radio group, Thursday Septembe 6th, 2018
ASPECTS; SIUSOM, Endometriosis: For Andrea Braundmeier-Fleming, PhD, it’s not just work, it’s personal
https://issuu.com/siumed/docs/41-3/13
SIU School of Medicine: A Look Back at 2018: A Message from Dr. Jerry Kruse
https://www.siumed.edu/dean/highlights/look-back-2018-message-dr-jerry-kruse.html
SIU School of Medicine: Endometriosis: What it is & why It’s so difficult to diagnose & treat
https://blog.siumed.org/blog/endometriosis-what-it-is-why-its-so-difficult-to-diagnose-treat
Grants
2018-2019 Research Seed Grant, ADR, SIU School of Medicine
PI “Endometriosis pathophysiology: alteration of microbiome dynamics and immunosuppression”.
2017-2019 Endometriosis Foundation of America
PI “Endometriosis pathophysiology: alteration of microbiome dynamics and immunosuppression”.
2017-2019 Team Science Grant-Simmons Cancer Institute
PI “Machine learning approach for early detection and individualized treatment of ovarian cancer.
2017-2019 Department of Energy-Oak Ridge National Laboratory
PI “A Quantitative system Biology, Multi-omic approach to diagnose gynecological cancers”
Clinical trials
Related articles
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Summer research interns share findings at Simmons Cancer showcase
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New gifts to help SIU OB-GYN research and students
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