Test your science knowledge
Gender issues once considered taboo are now part of public discourse. Yet, public understanding of women’s health lags severely behind that of men’s health. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is working to confront this disparity. Take this quiz to see how far our research has gone to address a variety of women’s health topics, such as ovarian and breast cancers, pregnancy, endometriosis, and menopause.
Many women naturally become less active as they age and enter menopause. Menopause is brought about by a decline in levels of which hormone?
Image: William C. Krause/Holly Ingraham lab/University of California, San Francisco
CSHL Associate Professor Jessica Tollkuhn and her collaborators identified a group of estrogen-sensitive neurons in the mouse brain that spur movement. The discovery may point toward possible targets for new hormone therapies. Watch this video to see estrogen’s effect on mouse activity levels.
Pregnancy affects women’s bodies in many ways. Some of these changes have even been tied to breast cancer risk factors. After what age may pregnancy increase one’s risk of developing the disease?
While risk is reduced significantly for women who give birth before the age of 25, pregnancy after 35 can increase breast cancer risk. CSHL Associate Professor Camila dos Santos’ lab investigates how pregnancy changes breasts at the molecular level. They hope to identify specific changes within breast tissue that provide natural cancer protection. They’ve already uncovered several long-lasting changes that occur during pregnancy, including changes to hormones and immune cells.
Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age. This often-debilitating condition is characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside which part of the body?
Despite its prevalence, the cause and development of endometriosis remain poorly understood. Current therapeutic strategies are often inadequate. And the condition is frequently misdiagnosed. Now, CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz and Dr. Tamer Seckin at Northwell Health have joined forces to tackle endometriosis. Their goal is to uncover new biological markers for diagnosis and targets for therapy.
Breast cancer cells use the tumor environment to hide from the immune system. But CSHL researchers recently found a way to force immune cells to start “devouring” these dangerous intruders. What’s the name of the immune cells “eating up” cancer cells in this video?
Macrophages are immune cells responsible for fighting bacteria. CSHL Adjunct Professor Mikala Egeblad’s lab found that a combination of drugs could reprogram macrophages to attack tumor cells in a lab dish. A similar treatment prevented cancer metastases in mice and prolonged their survival. Egeblad and her colleagues hope this method can be applied to fight human cancers in the future.
Known as “the silent killer,” ovarian cancer is notorious for being discovered at a late stage—after it has metastasized to other sites in the body. What is the name of the “highway” system in our body that ovarian cancer cells use to spread to other organs and tissues?
Ovarian cancer cells use blood vessels to hitch a ride to distant organs. CSHL Professor Nicholas Tonks’ team discovered that overproduction of a protein called FER allows ovarian cells to become mobile. Therapeutically targeting this protein may someday help slow or even stop ovarian cancer metastasis.
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