Eleanore V. O’Neil

EDUCATION

PhD: University of Missouri-Columbia, 2021
Postdoctoral Training: Duke University, 2021-2026
Additional Training: Frontiers in Reproduction Course, 2021 

Awards: 
Lalor Foundation Fellowship
Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation Endowment Fellowship
2^nd Place Postdoctoral Platform Competition, SSR Annual Conference

During embryogenesis, all mammalian embryos develop a structure known as the bipotential gonad. This bipotential gonad will develop into one of two organs in a process known as sex determination: either the egg cell-producing ovary or the sperm-producing testis. Commitment to either of these gonad identities is hugely consequential for adult fertility and reproductive function, as they are the first reproductive organ to differentiate and direct development of the rest of the reproductive system.

The O’Neil Lab investigates how the extracellular environment contributes to sex determination and gonad morphogenesis. While the sex chromosomes initiate the cell fate decisions that underlie sex determination, extracellular signals execute and reinforce these cell fate decisions. Our laboratory applies a multi-scale approach encompassing genetic mouse models, advanced molecular profiling, and tissue culture techniques to understand how extracellular cues affect sex determination.  The long-term goal of the O’Neil Lab is to determine how the extracellular environment contributes to sex determination. Primary projects will investigate 1) The role of the extracellular matrix in sex determination and commitment of granulosa cell lineage; 2) Differential and sex-specific cellular responses downstream of extracellular signaling events; and  3) Transport of extracellular factors across tissue.

Publications

View all publications on NIH

View all publications on Google Scholar

Classes

ANIMLSCI 521 - Physiology of Reproduction
ANIMLSCI 687 - Genes and Development
ANIMLSCI 795A - Cells, Genes, and Development Journal Club