Miguel Angel Brieño-Enríquez, MD, PhD | Magee-Womens Research Institute, Department of OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences
Competition Sponsor: National Academy of Medicine
Awardee Year: 2024
In humans, the ovary ceases its functions little more that the halfway through a woman’s lifespan, leading to a very long post reproductive period. We recently found that the naked mole-rat (NMR, Heterocephalus glaber), amazingly maintains its fertility across its entire lifespan (~37 years). Moreover, we established that NMRs do not exhaust their oocyte stores and continue to produce primordial germ cells (PGCs) that could be a source for newly developed oocytes both in vivo and in vitro. The lymph node is a key organ of the mammalian immune system that has evolved to mount an immediate and orchestrated response against invading pathogens. Interestingly, the lymph node is also one of the first clinically observed sites of most cancer metastasis. In the lymph node, tumor cells can survive, perhaps because the architecture of the lymph node provides direct access to essential nutrients and growth factors found in the blood. Since, lymph nodes support normal immune function as well as the survival of metastatic tumor cells, they might also promote the survival and expansion of healthy cells and tissues. Therefore, healthy cell and tissue growth in lymph nodes would provide a new approach for cell therapies in regenerative medicine. In this project we will test the hypothesis that when transplanted directly into the lymph nodes of NMR, PGCs, theca and granulosa cells engraft and show ectopic ovary functions in vivo, providing a strong evidence-based proof of principle for the develop of novel therapies for ovarian rejuvenation beyond just reproduction.