Rising Stars Webinar #4
Binyam Mogessie: Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University
Unraveling the Molecular Origins of Egg Aneuploidies Associated with Female Reproductive Aging
Description: My lab studies the mechanisms of meiotic chromosome segregation in mammalian oocytes. Aneuploidies arising from oocyte chromosome segregation errors are a leading cause of embryo chromosomal abnormalities associated with pregnancy loss, infertility, and genetic conditions. The fidelity of chromosome segregation declines dramatically with advancing maternal age, further impacting oocyte quality in reproductively older women. In this talk, I will present our innovation of a unique experimental system that integrates quantitative cell biology and targeted protein degradation technologies for identifying and probing the molecular origins of female reproductive age-related oocyte aneuploidies.
Andrew Kelleher: Assistant Professor and NextGen precision health investigator in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health at the University of Missouri
Epithelial Lineage Determination in Endometrial Development and Disease
Description: Understanding how epithelial cells in the female reproductive tract (FRT) differentiate is crucial for reproductive health, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. At birth, FRT epithelium is highly malleable, allowing differentiation into various epithelial types, but the regulatory pathways guiding these early cell fate decisions are unclear. Using endometrial organoids and assembloid coculture models we investigate how innate cellular plasticity and external mesenchymal signals influence epithelial differentiation. Interestingly, parallels emerge between the developmental plasticity of neonatal uterine epithelium and pathological conditions such as endometrial cancer, where similar regulatory mechanisms may reactivate, driving abnormal epithelial differentiation and tumorigenesis.