This team leverages the sampling opportunities afforded by Penn’s expertise in reproductive biology and single cell biology, with an aim to create a comprehensive resource for women’s health by documenting the molecular characteristics of individual cells in the female reproductive system.

This research will create a comprehensive molecular characterization of the female reproductive system (uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries) using six different molecular assays for at least ~700 tissue samples in anatomically indexed samples. The molecular assays include single cell RNAseq, clampFISH spatial transcriptomics, simultaneous single cell open chromatin and RNA assays, and spatial open chromatin assays, among others. They will also generate a 3D anatomical model to provide spatial coordinates for our molecular characterization. The completion of this resource will impact reproductive medicine for women’s health and also inform basic biology of human cell communities.

This important endeavor is made possible due to collaboration with the Gift of Life Donation Program and the generosity of donor families and Penn patients to participate in groundbreaking scientific research.