U-M Team’s Research Named Among Five Most Important Science Breakthroughs of 2024
Forbes magazine named the “atlas” of the human ovary, developed by a team from U-M, as one of the five most important scientific breakthroughs of 2024.
Forbes magazine named the “atlas” of the human ovary, developed by a team from U-M, as one of the five most important scientific breakthroughs of 2024.
“We, the lab members and my collaborators, are humbled by having the Human Cell Atlas Ovary being recognized as one of the five most important inventions of 2024,” said Ariella Shikanov, Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Obstetrics and Gynecology. “This honor reflects the recognized importance of interdisciplinary and collaborative research in reproductive tissue engineering and its profound implications for the future of women’s health.”
As Forbes noted, U-M researchers, including Dr. Shikanov, who co-led the study with Jun Z. Li, Professor, Human Genetics, created the first “cellular atlas” of human ovary by studying five donated ovaries using state-of-the-art cell and genetic mapping technologies. Through examining the different regions where the follicles reside and change in structure as they progress through different maturation stages, the scientists identified key factors that enable ovarian function.
This new map of the ovary, initially reported in Science Advances, provides a deeper understanding of how oocytes interact with the surrounding cells during the normal maturation process, and how the function of the follicles may break down in aging or fertility related diseases. Such knowledge may also accelerate the development of artificial ovaries.
“This was the first time where we could target ovarian follicles and oocytes and perform a spatial transcription analysis, which enables us to see which genes are active and where,” Dr. Shikanov said. “This new data allows us to start building our understanding of what makes a good egg — what determines which follicle is going to grow, ovulate, be fertilized and become a baby.”
The team’s ability to analyze the data that tracked all of the gene activity was supported by funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. U-M researchers are part of the initiative’s Female Reproductive System Seed Networks.
The study is part of the Human Cell Atlas project, which seeks to “map every cell type in the human body to transform understanding of health and disease.” The new spatial technology adopted by the team, NanoString GeoMx, was established in U-M by the Single-Cell Spatial Analysis Program (URL: https://singlecellspatialanalysis.umich.edu/), part of the Biosciences Initiative.
The majority of the study was carried out by two graduate students: Andrea S.K. Jones, who recently graduated with a PhD in biomedical engineering, and D. Ford Hannum, PhD student of bioinformatics. Jones and Hannum are co-first authors of the study. Sue Hammoud, associate professor of human genetics, and Erica Marsh, professor of obstetrics and gynecology are also principal investigators of the U-M’s Seed Network and co-authors in this paper. Additional financial support was provided by the National Institutes of Health.