Rate My Professor Melissa Tadros

Tadros's research focuses on sensory neurobiology, examining how sensory pathways convey signals from the body to the brain via the spinal cord and brainstem, and the consequences of disruptions from early-life infections, stress, or developmental changes. Utilizing advanced electrophysiological, anatomical, and immunohistochemical techniques, her studies investigate intrinsic neuronal excitability, sexually dimorphic alterations in pain pathways and brainstem inflammation following neonatal lipopolysaccharide or Chlamydia muridarum exposure, vestibular neuroepithelia in Ménière’s disease, and organoid models for developmental anomalies. Key collaborations include work with Associate Professor Jay Horvat on respiratory immunology and Professor Deborah Hodgson on neuroimmunology at the Hunter Medical Research Institute. Her publications include “The expression and localization of the human placental prorenin/renin-angiotensin system throughout pregnancy: roles in trophoblast invasion and angiogenesis” (Placenta, 2011), “Neuroimmune modulation of pain across the developmental spectrum” (Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 2019), “Development and characterization of human fetal female reproductive tract organoids to understand Müllerian duct anomalies” (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022), “Neonatal Chlamydia muridarum respiratory infection causes neuroinflammation within the brainstem during the early postnatal period” (Journal of Neuroinflammation, 2024), “Sexually dimorphic developmental changes in rat spinal cord pain pathways following neonatal inflammation” (Physiological Reports, 2025), and “Anatomical and functional studies of vestibular neuroepithelia from patients with Ménierè’s disease” (Disease Models and Mechanisms, 2025). With over 587 citations across 44 publications, her contributions advance insights into neurodevelopmental disorders and potential interventions. Tadros also engages in community outreach, conference organization, and mentoring early-career researchers.