Dr Emma Lucas

PhD, MMedSci, BSc (Hons)

Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health

Lecturer in Reproductive Medicine

e.s.lucas@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 215 9044

Jessop Wing

Full contact details

Dr Emma Lucas
Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health
Jessop Wing
Tree Root Walk
Sheffield
S10 2SF

Profile

For enquiries please contact - ClinMed-Operational@sheffield.ac.uk

I studied undergraduate Human Biology (Loughborough University, UK) followed by a Masters degree in Assisted Reproduction Technology (University of Nottingham, UK) before obtaining my PhD from the University of Nottingham, UK. I undertook Postdoctoral positions at the University of Southampton, looking at the role of maternal environment on offspring development and long-term health, and then at the University of Warwick, where I investigated the role of the endometrium in recurrent miscarriage. I joined the University of Sheffield in October 2023 as Lecturer in Reproductive Medicine.

Qualifications

Human Biology, BSc (Hons) – Loughborough University, UK
Assisted Reproduction Technology, MMedSci (Distinction) – University of Nottingham, UK
PhD Obstetrics and Gynaecology – University of Nottingham, UK

Research interests: We are interested in the function of the endometrium, particularly around the time of embryo implantation, in determining pregnancy outcomes. We study the role of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on endometrial function and in reproductive dysfunction to identify the impact these have on interactions with the embryo, establishment of the placenta and the short- and long-term implications for offspring health.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Featured publications

Journal articles

Bortoletto P, Lucas ES, Melo P, Gallos ID, Devall AJ, Bourne T, Quenby S, Bennett PR, Coomarasamy A & Brosens JJ (2022) Miscarriage syndrome: Linking early pregnancy loss to obstetric and age-related disorders. eBioMedicine, 81, 104134-104134.
Quenby S, Gallos ID, Dhillon-Smith RK, Podesek M, Stephenson MD, Fisher J, Brosens JJ, Brewin J, Ramhorst R, Lucas ES , McCoy RC et al (2021) Miscarriage matters: the epidemiological, physical, psychological, and economic costs of early pregnancy loss. The Lancet, 397(10285), 1658-1667.
Tewary S, Lucas ES, Fujihara R, Kimani PK, Polanco A, Brighton PJ, Muter J, Fishwick KJ, Da Costa MJMD, Ewington LJ , Lacey L et al (2020) Impact of sitagliptin on endometrial mesenchymal stem-like progenitor cells: A randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled feasibility trial. EBioMedicine, 51, 102597-102597.
Denisenko O, Lucas ES, Sun C, Watkins AJ, Mar D, Bomsztyk K & Fleming TP (2016) Regulation of ribosomal RNA expression across the lifespan is fine-tuned by maternal diet before implantation. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1859(7), 906-913.
Lucas ES, Dyer NP, Murakami K, Hou Lee Y, Chan Y-W, Grimaldi G, Muter J, Brighton PJ, Moore JD, Patel G , Chan JKY et al (2016) Loss of Endometrial Plasticity in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss. Stem Cells, 34(2), 346-356.
Murakami K, Lee YH, Lucas ES, Chan Y-W, Durairaj RP, Takeda S, Moore JD, Tan BK, Quenby S, Chan JKY , Gargett CE et al (2014) Decidualization Induces a Secretome Switch in Perivascular Niche Cells of the Human Endometrium. Endocrinology, 155(11), 4542-4553.
Watkins AJ, Lucas ES, Torrens C, Cleal JK, Green L, Osmond C, Eckert JJ, Gray WP, Hanson MA & Fleming TP (2010) Maternal low-protein diet during mouse pre-implantation development induces vascular dysfunction and altered renin–angiotensin-system homeostasis in the offspring. British Journal of Nutrition, 103(12), 1762-1770.
Steele W, Allegrucci C, Singh R, Lucas E, Priddle H, Denning C, Sinclair K & Young L (2005) Human embryonic stem cell methyl cycle enzyme expression: modelling epigenetic programming in assisted reproduction?. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 10(6), 755-766.
Rawlings TM, Makwana K, Taylor DM, Molè MA, Fishwick KJ, Tryfonos M, Odendaal J, Hawkes A, Zernicka-Goetz M, Hartshorne GM , Brosens JJ et al () Modelling the impact of decidual senescence on embryo implantation in human endometrial assembloids. eLife, 10.
Lucas ES, Vrljicak P, Muter J, Diniz-da-Costa MM, Brighton PJ, Kong C-S, Lipecki J, Fishwick KJ, Odendaal J, Ewington LJ , Quenby S et al () Recurrent pregnancy loss is associated with a pro-senescent decidual response during the peri-implantation window. Communications Biology, 3(1).
Brighton PJ, Maruyama Y, Fishwick K, Vrljicak P, Tewary S, Fujihara R, Muter J, Lucas ES, Yamada T, Woods L , Lucciola R et al () Clearance of senescent decidual cells by uterine natural killer cells in cycling human endometrium. eLife, 6.

Preprints

Kong C-S, Ordoñez AA, Turner S, Tremaine T, Muter J, Lucas ES, Salisbury E, Vassena R, Fouladi-Nashta AA, Tiscornia G , Hartshorne G et al (2020) Involvement of uterine natural killer cells in the natural selection of human embryos at implantation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

All publications

Journal articles

Vrljicak P, Lucas ES, Tryfonos M, Muter J, Ott S & Brosens JJ (2023) Dynamic chromatin remodeling in cycling human endometrium at single-cell level. Cell Reports, 42(12), 113525-113525.
Hume L, Edge JC, Tinning H, Wang D, Taylor AS, Ovchinnikov V, Geijer-Simpson AV, Vrljicak P, Brosens JJ, Lucas ES , Simpson NAB et al (2023) MicroRNAs emerging coordinate with placental mammals alter pathways in endometrial epithelia important for endometrial function. iScience, 26(4), 106339-106339.
Bortoletto P, Lucas ES, Melo P, Gallos ID, Devall AJ, Bourne T, Quenby S, Bennett PR, Coomarasamy A & Brosens JJ (2022) Miscarriage syndrome: Linking early pregnancy loss to obstetric and age-related disorders. eBioMedicine, 81, 104134-104134.
Brosens JJ, Bennett PR, Abrahams VM, Ramhorst R, Coomarasamy A, Quenby S, Lucas ES & McCoy RC (2022) Maternal selection of human embryos in early gestation: Insights from recurrent miscarriage. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 131, 14-24.
Lipecki J, Mitchell AE, Muter J, Lucas ES, Makwana K, Fishwick K, Odendaal J, Hawkes A, Vrljicak P, Brosens JJ & Ott S (2022) EndoTime: non-categorical timing estimates for luteal endometrium. Human Reproduction, 37(4), 747-761.
Rawlings TM, Makwana K, Tryfonos M & Lucas ES (2021) Organoids to model the endometrium: implantation and beyond. Reproduction and Fertility, 2(3), R85-R101.
Quenby S, Gallos ID, Dhillon-Smith RK, Podesek M, Stephenson MD, Fisher J, Brosens JJ, Brewin J, Ramhorst R, Lucas ES , McCoy RC et al (2021) Miscarriage matters: the epidemiological, physical, psychological, and economic costs of early pregnancy loss. The Lancet, 397(10285), 1658-1667.
Diniz-da-Costa M, Kong C-S, Fishwick KJ, Rawlings T, Brighton PJ, Hawkes A, Odendaal J, Quenby S, Ott S, Lucas ES , Vrljicak P et al (2021) Characterization of Highly Proliferative Decidual Precursor Cells During the Window of Implantation in Human Endometrium. Stem Cells, 39(8), 1067-1080.
Kong C, Ordoñez AA, Turner S, Tremaine T, Muter J, Lucas ES, Salisbury E, Vassena R, Tiscornia G, Fouladi‐Nashta AA , Hartshorne G et al (2021) Embryo biosensing by uterine natural killer cells determines endometrial fate decisions at implantation. The FASEB Journal, 35(4).
Lanham SA, Smith SJ, Watkins AJ, Lucas ES, MacCaoilte N, Oreffo ROC, Fleming TP & Eckert JJ (2021) Periconception maternal low-protein diet adversely affects male mouse fetal bone growth and mineral density quality in late gestation. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 12(3), 384-395.
Tewary S, Lucas ES, Fujihara R, Kimani PK, Polanco A, Brighton PJ, Muter J, Fishwick KJ, Da Costa MJMD, Ewington LJ , Lacey L et al (2020) Impact of sitagliptin on endometrial mesenchymal stem-like progenitor cells: A randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled feasibility trial. EBioMedicine, 51, 102597-102597.
Rich-Griffin C, Stechemesser A, Finch J, Lucas E, Ott S & Schäfer P (2020) Single-Cell Transcriptomics: A High-Resolution Avenue for Plant Functional Genomics. Trends in Plant Science, 25(2), 186-197.
Vrljicak P, Lucas ES, Lansdowne L, Lucciola R, Muter J, Dyer NP, Brosens JJ & Ott S (2018) Analysis of chromatin accessibility in decidualizing human endometrial stromal cells. The FASEB Journal, 32(5), 2467-2477.
Lucas ES & Watkins AJ (2017) The Long-Term Effects of the Periconceptional Period on Embryo Epigenetic Profile and Phenotype; The Paternal Role and His Contribution, and How Males Can Affect Offspring’s Phenotype/Epigenetic Profile, 137-154.
Peter Durairaj RR, Aberkane A, Polanski L, Maruyama Y, Baumgarten M, Lucas ES, Quenby S, Chan JKY, Raine-Fenning N, Brosens JJ , Van de Velde H et al (2017) Deregulation of the endometrial stromal cell secretome precedes embryo implantation failure. MHR: Basic science of reproductive medicine, 23(8), 582-582.
Peter Durairaj RR, Aberkane A, Polanski L, Maruyama Y, Baumgarten M, Lucas ES, Quenby S, Chan JKY, Raine-Fenning N, Brosens JJ , Van de Velde H et al (2017) Deregulation of the endometrial stromal cell secretome precedes embryo implantation failure. MHR: Basic science of reproductive medicine, 23(7), 478-487.
Lucas ES, Dyer NP, Fishwick K, Ott S & Brosens JJ (2016) Success after failure: the role of endometrial stem cells in recurrent miscarriage. Reproduction, 152(5), R159-R166.
Muter J, Brighton PJ, Lucas ES, Lacey L, Shmygol A, Quenby S, Blanks AM & Brosens JJ (2016) Progesterone-Dependent Induction of Phospholipase C-Related Catalytically Inactive Protein 1 (PRIP-1) in Decidualizing Human Endometrial Stromal Cells. Endocrinology, 157(7), 2883-2893.
Denisenko O, Lucas ES, Sun C, Watkins AJ, Mar D, Bomsztyk K & Fleming TP (2016) Regulation of ribosomal RNA expression across the lifespan is fine-tuned by maternal diet before implantation. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1859(7), 906-913.
Lucas ES, Dyer NP, Murakami K, Hou Lee Y, Chan Y-W, Grimaldi G, Muter J, Brighton PJ, Moore JD, Patel G , Chan JKY et al (2016) Loss of Endometrial Plasticity in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss. Stem Cells, 34(2), 346-356.
Watkins AJ, Lucas ES, Marfy-Smith S, Bates N, Kimber SJ & Fleming TP (2015) Maternal nutrition modifies trophoblast giant cell phenotype and fetal growth in mice. REPRODUCTION, 149(6), 563-575.
Sun C, Denisenko O, Sheth B, Cox A, Lucas ES, Smyth NR & Fleming TP (2015) Epigenetic regulation of histone modifications and Gata6 gene expression induced by maternal diet in mouse embryoid bodies in a model of developmental programming. BMC Developmental Biology, 15(1).
Muter J, Lucas ES, Chan Y, Brighton PJ, Moore JD, Lacey L, Quenby S, Lam EW & Brosens JJ (2015) The clock protein period 2 synchronizes mitotic expansion and decidual transformation of human endometrial stromal cells. The FASEB Journal, 29(4), 1603-1614.
Murakami K, Lee YH, Lucas ES, Chan Y-W, Durairaj RP, Takeda S, Moore JD, Tan BK, Quenby S, Chan JKY , Gargett CE et al (2014) Decidualization Induces a Secretome Switch in Perivascular Niche Cells of the Human Endometrium. Endocrinology, 155(11), 4542-4553.
Lucas ES, Salker MS & Brosens JJ (2013) Reprint of: Uterine plasticity and reproductive fitness. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 27(6), 664-672.
Kuroda K, Venkatakrishnan R, James S, Šućurović S, Mulac-Jericevic B, Lucas ES, Takeda S, Shmygol A, Brosens JJ & Quenby S (2013) Elevated Periimplantation Uterine Natural Killer Cell Density in Human Endometrium Is Associated With Impaired Corticosteroid Signaling in Decidualizing Stromal Cells. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 98(11), 4429-4437.
Brosens JJ, Blanks AM & Lucas ES (2013) LRH-1: orphaned, adopted and needed for pregnancy. Nature Medicine, 19(8), 968-969.
Lucas ES, Salker MS & Brosens JJ (2013) Uterine plasticity and reproductive fitness. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 27(5), 506-514.
Lucas E (2013) Epigenetic effects on the embryo as a result of periconceptional environment and assisted reproduction technology. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 27(5), 477-485.
Kuroda K, Venkatakrishnan R, Salker MS, Lucas ES, Shaheen F, Kuroda M, Blanks A, Christian M, Quenby S & Brosens JJ (2013) Induction of 11β-HSD 1 and Activation of Distinct Mineralocorticoid Receptor- and Glucocorticoid Receptor-Dependent Gene Networks in Decidualizing Human Endometrial Stromal Cells. Molecular Endocrinology, 27(2), 192-202.
Fleming TP, Velazquez MA, Eckert JJ, Lucas ES & Watkins AJ (2012) Nutrition of females during the peri-conceptional period and effects on foetal programming and health of offspring. Animal Reproduction Science, 130(3-4), 193-197.
Fleming TP, Lucas ES, Watkins AJ & Eckert JJ (2012) Adaptive responses of the embryo to maternal diet and consequences for post-implantation development. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 24(1), 35-35.
Lucas ES, Watkins AJ, Cox AL, Marfy-Smith SJ, Smyth N & Fleming TP (2011) Tissue-specific selection of reference genes is required for expression studies in the mouse model of maternal protein undernutrition. Theriogenology, 76(3), 558-569.
Watkins AJ, Lucas ES, Torrens C, Cleal JK, Green L, Osmond C, Eckert JJ, Gray WP, Hanson MA & Fleming TP (2010) Maternal low-protein diet during mouse pre-implantation development induces vascular dysfunction and altered renin–angiotensin-system homeostasis in the offspring. British Journal of Nutrition, 103(12), 1762-1770.
Watkins AJ, Lucas ES & Fleming TP (2010) Impact of the periconceptional environment on the programming of adult disease. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 1(2), 87-95.
Lucas ES, Finn SL, Cox A, Lock FR & Watkins AJ (2009) The impact of maternal high fat nutrition on the next generation: food for thought?. The Journal of Physiology, 587(14), 3425-3426.
Thurston A, Lucas ES, Allegrucci C, Steele W & Young LE (2007) Region-specific DNA methylation in the preimplantation embryo as a target for genomic plasticity. Theriogenology, 68, S98-S106.
Allegrucci C, Thurston A, Lucas E & Young L (2005) Epigenetics and the germline. Reproduction, 129(2), 137-149.
Steele W, Allegrucci C, Singh R, Lucas E, Priddle H, Denning C, Sinclair K & Young L (2005) Human embryonic stem cell methyl cycle enzyme expression: modelling epigenetic programming in assisted reproduction?. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 10(6), 755-766.
Mann ON, Kong C-S, Lucas ES, Brosens JJ, Hanyaloglu AC & Brighton PJ () Expression and function of the luteinizing hormone choriogonadotropin receptor in human endometrial stromal cells. Scientific Reports, 12(1).
Rawlings TM, Makwana K, Taylor DM, Molè MA, Fishwick KJ, Tryfonos M, Odendaal J, Hawkes A, Zernicka-Goetz M, Hartshorne GM , Brosens JJ et al () Modelling the impact of decidual senescence on embryo implantation in human endometrial assembloids. eLife, 10.
Harden SL, Zhou J, Gharanei S, Diniz-da-Costa M, Lucas ES, Cui L, Murakami K, Fang J, Chen Q, Brosens JJ & Lee YH () Exometabolomic Analysis of Decidualizing Human Endometrial Stromal and Perivascular Cells. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9.
Gharanei S, Fishwick K, Peter Durairaj R, Jin T, Siamantouras E, Liu K-K, Straube A, Lucas ES, Weston CJ, Rantakari P , Salmi M et al () Vascular Adhesion Protein-1 Determines the Cellular Properties of Endometrial Pericytes. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8.
Lucas ES, Vrljicak P, Muter J, Diniz-da-Costa MM, Brighton PJ, Kong C-S, Lipecki J, Fishwick KJ, Odendaal J, Ewington LJ , Quenby S et al () Recurrent pregnancy loss is associated with a pro-senescent decidual response during the peri-implantation window. Communications Biology, 3(1).
Brighton PJ, Maruyama Y, Fishwick K, Vrljicak P, Tewary S, Fujihara R, Muter J, Lucas ES, Yamada T, Woods L , Lucciola R et al () Clearance of senescent decidual cells by uterine natural killer cells in cycling human endometrium. eLife, 6.
Brosens JJ, Salker MS, Teklenburg G, Nautiyal J, Salter S, Lucas ES, Steel JH, Christian M, Chan Y-W, Boomsma CM , Moore JD et al () Uterine Selection of Human Embryos at Implantation. Scientific Reports, 4(1).
Murakami K, Bhandari H, Lucas ES, Takeda S, Gargett CE, Quenby S, Brosens JJ & Tan BK () Deficiency in Clonogenic Endometrial Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Obese Women with Reproductive Failure – a Pilot Study. PLoS ONE, 8(12), e82582-e82582.
Salker MS, Nautiyal J, Steel JH, Webster Z, Šućurović S, Nicou M, Singh Y, Lucas ES, Murakami K, Chan Y-W , James S et al () Disordered IL-33/ST2 Activation in Decidualizing Stromal Cells Prolongs Uterine Receptivity in Women with Recurrent Pregnancy Loss. PLoS ONE, 7(12), e52252-e52252.
Watkins AJ, Lucas ES, Wilkins A, Cagampang FRA & Fleming TP () Maternal Periconceptional and Gestational Low Protein Diet Affects Mouse Offspring Growth, Cardiovascular and Adipose Phenotype at 1 Year of Age. PLoS ONE, 6(12), e28745-e28745.

Chapters

Rawlings TM, Tryfonos M, Makwana K, Taylor DM, Brosens JJ & Lucas ES (2024) Endometrial Assembloids to Model Human Embryo Implantation In Vitro. (pp. 63-74).
Rawlings TM, Tryfonos M, Makwana K, Taylor DM, Brosens JJ & Lucas ES (2023) Endometrial Assembloids to Model Human Embryo Implantation In Vitro, Embryo Models In Vitro (pp. 63-74). Springer US

Conference proceedings papers

Kong CS, Muter J, Fishwick K, Brighton P, Lucas ES, Joshua O, Hawkes A, Quenby S & Brosens JJ (2022) Immune deficiency and endometrial dyshomeostasis in recurrent miscarriages. HUMAN REPRODUCTION, Vol. 37 (pp I179-I179)
Lucas ES, Vrljicak P, Muter J, Diniz-da-Costa M, Ott S & Brosens JJ (2019) Aberrant Specification of Endometrial Stromal Cells into Distinct Decidual Subpopulations in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.. REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES, Vol. 26 (pp 198A-198A)
Muter J, Lucas E, Chan Y-W, Brighton P, Quenby S & Brosens J (2015) PER2 Synchronizes Mitotic Transition and Decidual Transformation of Human Endometrial Stromal Cells. REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES, Vol. 22 (pp 82A-83A)
Lanham SA, Lock FR, Lucas ES, Watkins AJ, Fleming TP, Oreffo ROC & Harding S (2012) MATERNAL DIET ALTERS FETAL BONE DEVELOPMENT. OSTEOPOROSIS INTERNATIONAL, Vol. 23 (pp S605-S606)

Preprints

Rawlings TM, Makwana K, Taylor DM, Molè MA, Fishwick KJ, Tryfonos M, Odendaal J, Hawkes A, Zernicka-Goetz M, Hartshorne GM , Brosens JJ et al (2021) Modelling the impact of decidual senescence on embryo implantation in human endometrial assembloids, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Diniz-da-Costa M, Kong C-S, Fishwick KJ, Rawlings T, Brighton PJ, Hawkes A, Odendaal J, Quenby S, Ott S, Lucas ES , Vrljicak P et al (2020) Characterization of highly proliferative decidual precursor cells during the window of implantation in human endometrium, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Kong C-S, Ordoñez AA, Turner S, Tremaine T, Muter J, Lucas ES, Salisbury E, Vassena R, Fouladi-Nashta AA, Tiscornia G , Hartshorne G et al (2020) Involvement of uterine natural killer cells in the natural selection of human embryos at implantation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Harden S, Zhou J, Diniz-da-Costa M, Lucas ES, Cui L, Murakami K, Fang J, Chen Q, Brosens JJ & Lee YH (2020) Exometabolomic analysis of decidualizing human endometrial stromal and perivascular cells, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Lucas ES, Vrljicak P, Muter J, Diniz-da-Costa MM, Brighton PJ, Kong C-S, Lipecki J, Fishwick K, Odendaal J, Ewington LJ , Quenby S et al (2018) Recurrent pregnancy loss is associated with a pro-senescent decidual response during the peri-implantation window, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Brighton PJ, Maruyama Y, Fishwick K, Vrljicak P, Tewary S, Fujihara R, Muter J, Lucas ES, Yamada T, Woods L , Lucciola R et al (2017) Clearance of senescent decidual cells by uterine natural killer cells drives endometrial remodeling during the window of implantation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Teaching activities: I teach on the MSc in Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, contributing to several taught modules as well supervising Research Projects.

Professional activities and memberships

Associate Editor for the journal Molecular Human Reproduction (2022- )
Member of Council for the Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF) and member of the Finance and Journals Committees (2021- )
External reviewer for several international journals in reproductive and developmental biology