The Woods Laboratory is interested in studying the role of mitochondria in normal and disease states, with a major emphasis on female reproductive function and health. The major research thrusts in the laboratory are centered on four main, and complementary, areas, including:
- Cellular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy
- Cancer research (chiefly ovarian cancer, including rare forms) and the alternate roles of mitochondria in promoting cancer cell survival
- The role of mitochondria in ovarian function, including ovarian somatic cells, female germ cells, and oocytes
- The potential for stem cell contribution to ovarian function through regenerative therapeutic technologies
Publications
Videos
In The News
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Announcing the 2024 TIER 1 Award Recipients
Twenty-nine interdisciplinary teams—ten include College of Science faculty members—have been selected to receive 2024 TIER 1 Awards, three of which are Mentored Awards. The TIER 1 Seed Grant/Proof of Concept Awards Program is supported by the colleges and the Senior Vice Provost for Research. This competitive program encourages individual faculty members to form multidisciplinary teams […] -
A Northeastern-led team is uprooting modern reproductive biology
A March 2022 study from the two Northeastern biology professors’ labs, spearheaded by biology Ph.D. students Hannah Alberico and Zoe Fleischmann, further affirmed the existence of ovarian stem cells in humans, indicating humans may not have a fixed number of eggs from birth and that the body is capable of producing more. The discovery turns modern reproductive biology on its head.