2021 SREI Young Investigator Award Recipients
Kathryn Coyne, MD - University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University
Bio: Dr. Coyne is a current first year Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellow at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio and holds a master’s degree in Medical Sciences from Loyola University Chicago. She graduated from Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. Dr. Coyne’s research interests include reproductive surgery, endometriosis, and oncofertility and she hopes to build a practice as an advanced reproductive surgeon in her future career in academic medicine.
Title: Altered endometrial cell progesterone responsiveness in the etiology of endometriosis and infertility
Purpose Statement: Previous studies suggest that the etiology of endometriosis involves altered responsiveness to progesterone due to aberrant levels of the progesterone receptor (PR) isoforms, PR-A and PR-B in endometrial cells. Since those studies, it has become apparent that PR-A function is also affected by site-specific serine phosphorylation (pSer), especially at the serine-344/345 locus (pSer344/345-PR-A). The objective of the proposed research is to evaluate not only the PR-A:PR-B ratio, but also to determine the level of pSer344/345-PR-A in eutopic and ectopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis. The hypothesis is that endometriosis and associated infertility is due to aberrant PR isoform levels and altered PR function in eutopic and ectopic endometrial cells.
Riwa Sabbagh, MD - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Boston IVF
Bio: Dr. Sabbagh is a fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Boston IVF where she is currently training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. She completed Medical School at the American University of Beirut and spent two years working in the Reproductive Endocrinology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. She then completed her four-year residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Her current research interests include human embryo characterization and understanding embryonic mosaicism. As a native Lebanese, she is fluent in Arabic and French as well as proficient in Spanish which has helped interact and communicate with patients with various backgrounds.
Title: Concurrent in situ characterization of chromosome and gene expression to create a three-dimensional map of discarded human blastocysts
Purpose Statement: The purpose of this project is to use a novel technology to three dimensionally map the whole human blastocyst to gain a better understanding of the allocation of aneuploid and euploid cells. Using this technology, the whole embryo will be visualized and in situ characterization of individual cells within the human blastocyst will be performed. In situ characterization will involve simultaneous mapping of both chromosomal content and gene expression. By gaining insight into the human blastocyst, the spatial distribution of aneuploidy and mosaicism within human blastocysts at the chromosomal and gene expression level will be better understood. Mapping the extent of chromosomal abnormalities may also help predict a better threshold with which an embryo can cope with the euploid/aneuploid ratio.