This work is an understanding of our first ever physical connection with our mothers. Rahim has worked on specialized cells which help us connect with our mother’s womb when we are just a few days old, a simple clump of cells. These cells undergo specific changes at the level of switching on thousands of genes while an equal number is turned off which results in the formation of a chord (called the placenta). The placenta is our physical link with our loving mothers. 

Rahim not only developed molecular tools to dissect changes in these cell types but more importantly, revealed changes at the level of genes while this transition is still taking place. Another aspect of Rahim’s work addressed why cells don’t die or become cancerous, proposing a novel mechanism defying cell death. Finally, an icing on the cake is the discovery of novel genes which we call splice variants. This alternate splicing part was computed by Dr. Aziz Mithani and computational analysis has predicted many such novel exons which were previously never described. The work was experimentally validated by Rahim and his supervisor, Dr. Amir Faisal. Finally, the work has discovered possibilities to understanding what may go wrong in abnormal pregnancies and premature births.