Arvind Palanisamy, MD, FRCA, MBBS

Washington University in St. Louis (WU)

My lab is interested in investigating the effect of perinatal pharmacotherapy, including maternally administered drugs, on fetal neurodevelopment. To study this question, we use a pregnant rat model and an array of techniques including, but not limited to, immunohistochemistry, neurobehavioral testing, and neural progenitor cell culture. Our current interest is in comprehensively assessing the fetal effects of maternally administered oxytocin during labor. Host-pathogen interaction in the nasal mucosa of pregnant women is a more recent interest inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic.