Liping Feng
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Assistant Professor in Pathology
Associate Research Professor of Global Health
Appointment:
Countries:
Liping Feng
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Assistant Professor in Pathology
Associate Research Professor of Global Health
Liping Feng's lab employs physiological, molecular, and translational approaches to study environmental health, placental biology, fetal programming, and reproductive and maternal health. Dr. Feng has a primary appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Duke University School of Medicine and her lab utilizes a wide variety of model systems including primary human trophoblast cells, stem cells, human placental tissue, mice, rats, and rabbits to support this focus. Current projects include 1) studies of the impact of perinatal PFAS exposure on placental function and early programming of fetal development, identifying mechanistic links between altered placental function, fetal growth, and adult health, placental-fetal signaling in modulating fetal immune and brain development; 2) studies of the roles of placental molecular signals in reproduction and neurobehavioral development in offspring using placental specific knockout mouse and cell models and placental imaging.
Projects
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Perinatal PFAS exposure and immunotoxicity in early life
United States
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Drinking Water Contamination in NC: Water Use, Human Health and Going Beyond GenX
United States
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Maternal exposure to e-waste in Guiyu, China and birth outcomes
China
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Effects of perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) exposure on adverse pregnancy outcomes and fetal development
China, United States
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The development of a platform mimicking the human placental barrier
United States
Publications
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Nguyen VT, Wang N, Feng L, Yao J. Sound of nurturing: Advanced photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging of placental hemodynamics. Placenta. 2026 Mar 30;Mellouk N, Zhou J, Takhirov A, Schust D, Feng L. PFBS Disrupts Mitochondria! Function and Induces PreeclampsiaLike Signatures in Human Placental Models. In: REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES. 2026.Bernard A, Young S, Yuan L, Feng L, Schust D. Evaluating Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Effects on Endometrial Health: From Decidualization to Dysfunction. In: REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES. 2026.Rawtani H, Mellouk N, Jackson J, Lee C-Y, Rodriguiz RM, Wetsel WC, et al. Perinatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances impairs maternal care and induces depressive-like behavior in mice. Toxicol Sci. 2026 Jan 30;209(1).
See more publications at Scholars@Duke


