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1. Introduction
2. Female reproductive health
3. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women
4. HIV in women
5. Human sperm penetrating the zona pellucida of an egg and 3-month fetus
6. Outline
7. FRT structure: Upper and lower tract
8. FRT environment: Upper and lower tract
9. Mucosal immune system throughout the human FRT
10. Levels of protection in the FRT
11. Master regulator: Sex hormones
12. FRT immune responses changes through the life cycle
13. Microbiome
14. The microbiome consists of bacterial species
15. The viral species in the human microbiome: The virome
16. The fungal species in the human microbiome: The mycobiome
17. The hostile vagina
18. Vaginal microbiome changes through life cycle
19. Factors affecting vaginal microbiome
20. Interventions to improve vaginal microbiome
21. Methods
22. Sampling the FRT
23. In vitro approaches
24. Ex vivo approaches
25. Ex vivo approaches: Mattek
26. Ex vivo approaches: Organoids
27. Ex vivo approaches: Organ on a chip
28. In vivo approaches
29. In vivo approaches: Human
30. Methods to study the human model
31. FRT secretions/fluids
32. Collection methods
33. Considerations in sample collection
34. Sample type and assay method comparison
35. FRT cells
36. FRT cells: Upper vs. lower tract
37. FRT cells and hormones
38. Flow cytometry
39. FRT sampling during pregnancy
40. Vaginal microbiome
41. Systems biology approaches
42. Single cell profiling
43. Inherent variability of the human model
44. Variability due to menstrual cycle
45. Challenges and considerations
46. Financial disclosures

Topics Covered

• Female reproductive health
• Female reproductive tract (FRT)
• Mucosal immune system throughout FRT
• FRT microbiome
• Sampling the FRT
• In vitro approaches
• Ex vivo approaches
• In vivo approaches
• Collection methods
• FRT cells study assays

Links

Series:

• The Female Reproductive System: from Basic Science to Fertility Treatments

Categories:

• Immunology

Therapeutic Areas:

• Gynaecology & Obstetrics

External Links

• Slide 2,3 - Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – WHO fact sheet
• Slide 4 - Global HIV & AIDS statistics — Fact sheet
• Slide 25 - MATTEK

Talk Citation

Ghosh, M. (2026, June 30). Methods to study the female reproductive tract: focus on the immune system [Video file]. In The Biomedical & Life Sciences Collection, Henry Stewart Talks. Retrieved July 1, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.69645/ICPY7640.
Export Citation (RIS)

Publication History

• Published on June 30, 2026

Financial Disclosures

• For “Menopause & Ovarian Aging: Aging and Menopause” and "Menopause & Ovarian Aging: Aging of the Female Reproductive Tract", there are no commercial/financial matters to disclose. For “Methods to Study the Female Reproductive Tract: Focus on the Immune System”, some unpublished data shown were funded through “Genital Health of Trans-men on Testosterone”, NIH R21AI157927-02 (MG) Data was prepared by Janja Kovacic (Ghosh Lab).