Superfund Research Program

Melissa A. Suter

Baylor College of Medicine
One Baylor Plaza
314C
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: 713-798-4192
Email: masuter@bcm.edu

Projects

• Baylor College of Medicine: Investigating the role of PAH exposures associated with superfund site proximity in preterm birth etiology through placental transcriptomics and metagenomics (2020-2030)
• Baylor College of Medicine: Research Experience and Training Coordination Core (RETCC) (2020-2030)

Publications

2025

• Hummel G, Banerjee S, Putluri V, Malick I, Johnson G, Kamal AH, Ambati CS, Putluri N, Showalter L, Shope C, Hagan J, Aagaard KM, Moorthy B, Suter MA. 2025. Placental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels are associated with spontaneous preterm birth. Int J Mol Sci 26(17):doi:10.3390/ijms26178179 PMID:40943106 PMCID:12428254
• Neumann O, Ju Y, Sanchez-Alvarado A, Zhou G, Jiang W, Moorthy B, Suter MA, Patel AB, Nordlander P, Halas N. 2025. Machine learning-enhanced surface-enhanced spectroscopic detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the human placenta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A doi:10.1073/pnas.2422537122 PMID:39928861 PMCID:PMC11848310

2024

• Barrozo ER, Seferovic MD, Hamilton MP, Moorshead DN, Jochum MD, Do T, O'Neil DS, Suter MA, Aagaard KM. 2024. Zika virus co-opts microRNA networks to persist in placental niches detected by spatial transcriptomics. Am J Obstet Gynecol 230(2):1-17. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2023.08.012 PMID:37598997 PMCID:10840961

2023

• Hunter R, Baird B, Garcia M, Begay J, Goitom S, Lucas S, Herbert G, Scieszka D, Padilla J, Brayer K, Ottens AK, Suter MA, Barrozo ER, Hines C, Bleske B, Campen M. 2023. Gestational ozone inhalation elicits maternal cardiac dysfunction and transcriptional changes to placental pericytes and endothelial cells. Toxicol Sci 196(2):238-249. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfad092 PMID:37695302 PMCID:10682975
• Suter MA, Aagaard KM. 2023. Natural disasters resulting from climate change: The impact of hurricanes and flooding on perinatal outcomes. Semin Perinatol 47(8):doi:10.1016/j.semperi.2023.151840 PMID:37839903

2022

• Banerjee S, Suter MA, Aagaard KM. 2022. Understanding the placental biology of tobacco smoke, nicotine, and marijuana (THC) exposures during pregnancy. Clin Obstet Gynecol 2:347-359. doi:10.1097/GRF.0000000000000691 PMID:35125390 PMCID:PMC9042338

2021

• Antony K, Romezi M, Lindgren K, Mitchell KB, Venable SF, Racusin DA, Suter MA, Aagaard KM. 2021. Maternal metabolic biomarkers are associated with obesity and excess gestational weight gain. Am J Perinatol 38:e173-e181. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1708855 PMID:32232816

2020

• Banerjee S, Suter MA, Aagaard KM. 2020. Interactions between environmental exposures and the microbiome: Implications for fetal programming. Curr Opin Endocr Metab Res 13:39-48. doi:10.1016/j.coemr.2020.09.003 PMID:33283070 PMCID:PMC771673

2019

• Suter MA, Aagaard KM, Coarfa C, Robertson M, Zhou GD, Jackson BP, Thompson D, Putluri V, Putluri N, Hagan J, Wang L, Jiang W, Lingappan K, Moorthy B. 2019. Association between elevated placental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PAH-DNA adducts from Superfund sites in Harris County, and increased risk of preterm birth (PTB). Biochem Biophys Res Commun 516(2):344-349. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.06.049 PMID:31208719 PMCID:PMC6637943