Reproductive Development
What happens during the first nine months? A lot more than you think.
Sometimes, DNA is naturally modified very early on, leading to disease decades in the future. We are accelerating discoveries in stem and germ cell biology to unlock the enormous medical potential of the very beginnings of life.
We are identifying the genetic causes of life-long health risks.
Watch VideoSpotlight On: The First Nine Months
Challenges
The expression of genes at the beginning of life plays a part in many common diseases.
Not only does the expression of genes at the beginning of life have major effects before birth, but also after birth, playing a part in diseases that range from obesity to psychiatric disorders.
- Germ cell tumors account for 14% of all adolescent cancers.
- Germ cells are the pathways that lead to human fertility.
- Sometimes the DNA in genes is naturally modified early on and may lead to disease decades in the future.
What Magee-Womens Scientists are Doing
- We are shaping the understanding of how a human being’s fate can be partially hardwired even before a fetus begins to grow.
- We are unlocking the mysteries at the very beginnings of life — discoveries that can lead to breakthroughs in prevention and treatment of life-long afflictions.
- We are using biomarkers to better detect a wide variety of conditions, from pre-eclampsia and beyond.
- We are studying the molecular basis of disease to assist in the discovery of new treatments and cures.
Clinical Research & Trials
For over two decades, we have dedicated our clinical research studies and clinical trials to improving the health care of women, men, and infants everywhere. Our research would not be possible without the generous participation of many study volunteers.
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“It’s incredibly scary to realize that our germ cells are that sensitive to these exposures. But it’s more scary to think that we may have exposures today that aren’t impacting the fertility of our sons and daughters, but rather impacting our grandchildren’s ability to have children.”
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“Having a healthy egg isn’t just about a healthy egg,” It’s about a healthy 90-year-old woman. What we as women provide into our developing eggs influences not just a happy, healthy baby being born, but a baby that has a long-term prognosis for health.”
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“We want to use this program as a launching pad for a pipeline of researchers in women's health.”