This program area, directed by Dr. Susan Taymans, supports research on the function of the ovary, including the mechanisms that regulate follicle endowment, follicular development, ovulation, luteal function, and ovarian pathologies that affect fertility. Major areas of interest include elucidating the interplay between the oocyte and somatic cells of the ovary, the identification of mechanisms responsible for selection of a dominant follicle, the regulation of oocyte meiosis and the reason for the greater occurrence of aneuploidy with increasing age, and the establishment and regulation of primordial follicles through a woman's lifetime. This program supports basic science experiments in human subject, as well as in animal models, via tissue culture, and through other in vitro systems
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