At the forefront of reproductive aging and systemic agingAt the forefront of reproductive aging and systemic aging
Driving discoveries in physiologic and iatrogenic reproductive agingDriving discoveries in physiologic and iatrogenic reproductive aging
At the intersection of gamete, follicle, and ovarian biologyAt the intersection of gamete, follicle, and ovarian biology
Engaged in reproductive science and medicineEngaged in reproductive science and medicine
About Our Lab
The female reproductive system is the first to age in the human body and will affect every single woman. Reproductive aging is characterized by a noticeable decline in egg quantity and quality beginning in women when they reach their mid-thirties and continuing until menopause. Female reproductive aging has significant health consequences as it results in endocrine function loss and is a leading cause of infertility, miscarriages, and birth defects. Reproductive aging has a large societal impact as women globally are delaying childbearing and many women of advanced reproductive age rely on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) to conceive.
The Duncan Lab uses mammalian model systems (mouse, bovine, and human) to investigate the overarching hypothesis that deterioration of oocyte-intrinsic cellular pathways together with alterations in the ovarian environment underlie the age-associated decline in female gamete quantity and quality. Our research will improve the fertile-span and health-span across generations through discovery of novel cellular pathways for therapeutic interventions.
Publications
- Zhou LT, Romar R, Pavone ME, Soriano-Úbeda C, Zhang J, Slawson C, Duncan FE Disruption of O-GlcNAc homeostasis during mammalian oocyte meiotic maturation impacts fertilization. Mol Reprod Dev 2019 May;86(5):543-557. doi:10.1002/mrd.23131
- Que EL, Duncan FE, Lee HC, Hornick JE, Vogt S, Fissore RA, O'Halloran TV, Woodruff TK Bovine eggs release zinc in response to parthenogenetic and sperm-induced egg activation. Theriogenology 2019 Mar 15;127:41-48. pii:S0093-691X(18)30911-7
- Singh VP, Yueh WT, Gerton JL, Duncan FE Oocyte-specific deletion of Hdac8 in mice reveals stage-specific effects on fertility. Reproduction 2019 Jan 01;. doi:10.1530/REP-18-0560
- Smith BM, Duncan FE, Ataman L, Smith K, Quinn GP, Chang RJ, Finlayson C, Orwig K, Valli-Pulaski H, Moravek MB, Zelinski MB, Irene Su H, Vitek W, Smith JF, Jeruss JS, Gracia C, Coutifaris C, Shah D, Nahata L, Gomez-Lobo V, Appiah LC, Brannigan RE, Gillis V, Gradishar W, Javed A, Rhoton-Vlasak AS, Kondapalli LA, Neuber E, Ginsberg JP, Muller CH, Hirshfeld-Cytron J, Kutteh WH, Lindheim SR, Cherven B, Meacham LR, Rao P, Torno L, Sender LS, Vadaparampil ST, Skiles JL, Schafer-Kalkhoff T, Frias OJ, Byrne J, Westphal LM, Schust DJ, Klosky JL, McCracken KA, Ting A, Khan Z, Granberg C, Lockart B, Scoccia B, Laronda MM, Mersereau JE, Marsh C, Pavone ME, Woodruff TK The National Physicians Cooperative: transforming fertility management in the cancer setting and beyond. Future Oncol 2018 Dec;14(29):3059-3072. doi:10.2217/fon-2018-0278
