Lab Members

The Laboratory for Aging and Infertility Research (LAIR), a multi-disciplinary collaborative research space located in the Mugar Life Sciences Building at Northeastern University, was co-founded by Dr. Jonathan Tilly (University Distinguished Professor and Chair of Biology) and Dr. Dori Woods (Assistant Professor of Biology) in 2014. Under the Co-Directorship of Drs. Tilly and Woods, the LAIR brings together principal investigators with synergistic and complementary research interests and expertise in any aspect of the biology of aging (see below). Our collective research efforts strive to better understand the aging process using a variety of model systems and technologies, with the ultimate goal of translating this knowledge into new therapeutic interventions that promote healthier aging in people ('health span'). The LAIR also serves as a unique training site for undergraduate and graduate student research across disciplines, facilitating the exchange of information and the building of skill-sets that empower our trainees to become more familiar with the scientific process, more confident in public presentation of their work, and better prepared for successful careers in academia, industry, healthcare and medicine. The LAIR houses state-of-the-art equipment and technologies that span all areas of cell and molecular biology, cell sorting, cell culture, imaging, and tissue engineering.

Dori Woods, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Our research centers on the role of mitochondrial function and dysfunction in normal and disease states, including the decline in cellular function with age. Mitochondria are heterogenous between tissue types, but also within tissues and individual cells. Why mitochondrial subpopulations exist, and importantly, how mitochondria as individual entities or subpopulations are governed and can impact cell function and fate-specification is not known. Our research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that govern mitochondrial functions and fate, with an emphasis on aging and reproductive function. An additional line of work in my lab is focused on the use of pluripotent and adult (unipotent) stem cell populations to generate both germline and somatic ovarian cell lineages, with the goal of generating ex-vivo engineered cell and organ systems for steroid hormone production, gametogenesis, and ovarian follicle formation.

Associate Chair of Biology

Email: d.woods@northeastern.edu

Jonathan L. Tilly, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

After assembling a detailed molecular blueprint of how apoptosis (programmed cell death) is controlled in mammalian germ cells and the consequences of germ cell death to ovarian lifespan and female fertility, we changed the primary focus of our work from one of cell death to cell renewal based on our studies that initially challenged, and eventually overturned, one of the most basic doctrines in our field: the existence of female germline or oogonial stem cells in the ovaries of mammals that support new oocyte production during adulthood. Our current efforts are focused on leveraging the regenerative power of these cells to sustain or restore ovarian function that is compromised or lost due to aging or insults. Another main thrust of our work, in collaboration with the lab of Dr. Dori Woods, is to map the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the aging-associated deterioration of egg and embryo quality, and to devise mitochondrial-based strategies for improving pregnancy success in human assisted reproduction.

Chair of Biology

Konstantin Khrapko, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Mitochondria are cellular organelles responsible for ATP production as well as the control of many other cellular processes,  from ion homeostasis to apoptosis.  Mitochondria are the only organelle that carries its own genome, (mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA). Progressive accumulation of mutations in mtDNA is believed to be involved in both aging and disease (e.g., cancer development). My lab seeks to better characterize how mutations in mtDNA arise, as well as their impact on cellular physiology. We also use mtDNA mutations to trace mtDNA lineages and to study human evolution.

Professor of Biology

Andrew J. Piasecki, Graduate Student (Woods Lab)

My research is focused on better understanding mitochondrial-nuclear crosstalk in the mammalian ovary and pre-implantation embryogenesis. Mitochondria are capable of altering nuclear function through multiple distinct pathways such as calcium homeostasis, metabolite production, ATP production, and apoptosis. Because the nature of mitochondrial-nuclear crosstalk is so variable, I work with a variety of model systems including drug-resistant ovarian cancer, aging ovarian tissue, and early embryonic development to study the impact of mitochondrial signaling on cellular function. FAMS, a flow-cytometry based platform, allows me to study mitochondria at single-organelle level resolution and provides insight into the vast degree of heterogeneity present within the mitochondrial population of a cell.

NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Alumni

  • Jason Nichols, Ph.D.

  • Fausto Capelluto, Ph.D.

  • Hannah Alberico, Ph.D. - Senior Scientist at Abbvie Pharmaceuticals

  • Jessica Martin, M.S.

  • Charles Linskey, M.S.

  • Yukiko Mikami, MD, Ph.D.

  • Zoe Fleischmann, Ph.D.

  • Julie MacDonald, Ph.D.

  • Taichi Akahori, MD, Ph.D.

  • Alisha (Truman) Bothun, Ph.D.

  • Paulo Henrique de Almeida Campos-Junior, Ph.D.

  • Christine Faraci, M.S.

  • Anna Denicol, DVM, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor at University of California, Davis

  • Deanna Navaroli, Ph.D.

  • Kshama Chandrasekhar, Ph.D.

Undergraduates and Visiting Students

We have a lively and constant stream of undergraduate students coming through the lab either as volunteers, work study students, independent studies, and NSF-sponsored REU participants.

  • Dillon Nishigaya (Volunteer)

  • Steven Rosmanith (REALTIME 2022)

  • Audrey Yun (Volunteer)

  • Warda Ahmed (REALTIME 2023)

  • Matthew Palmer (REALTIME 2023)

  • Tiffany Chen (REALTIME 2023)

  • Katelin Monroy (REALTIME 2023)

  • Leah Simmons (Co-op, Fall 2015)

  • Alyssa Kania (Directed study)

  • Shalin Shetty (Directed study)

  • Leannah Newman (Volunteer)

  • Brook Simonton (Capstone study)

  • Alexa DelBene (Volunteer)

  • Quiyi Wang (Volunteer)

  • Nick Solek (Volunteer)

  • Emma Robinson (Volunteer)

  • Rachael Sverdlove (Directed study)

  • Efosa Enoma (Co-op)

  • Bailey Smith (Volunteer)

  • Sam Eun (REU Participant)

  • Tia Hoisington (REU Participant)

  • Solana Garcia (Volunteer)

  • Carleigh Sussman (Directed study)

  • Niharika Kura (Volunteer, Directed study, Capstone)

  • Joyce Jin (Volunteer)

  • Tanner Eggert (Directed Study)

  • Christina Yung (Volunteer and Research technician)

  • Menaka Sanghvi (Directed study)

  • Shandy Maccow (Volunteer)

  • Irena Kuzma (Volunteer and directed study)

  • Dominick Pezzulo (Volunteer)

  • Christina Weber (Co-op)

  • Katie Izzo (Volunteer)

  • Monika Izdebski (Co-op, Fall 2015)

  • Katharina Winkel (2015-2016 Master's student, Hannover, Germany exchange)

  • Charlotte Hauschlidt (2021-2022 Master's student, Hannover, Germany exchange)

  • Conner Shaughnessy (Volunteer and directed study)