Berna Sozen, Ph.D.

Research

The Sozen lab will explore how the maternal environment shapes an embryo’s developmental trajectory. Our earliest days of life begin with a conversation; one that happens deep within the uterus between a developing embryo and the maternal tissues that surround it. This exchange is crucial, helping to shape how tissues and organs form. Yet, because it unfolds in such an inaccessible part of the body, much about this early interaction remains a mystery. As a postdoctoral fellow and in my own laboratory, I pioneered the engineering of 3D, stem cell-based culture systems that mimic key aspects of early embryonic development. Now, integrating these models with novel assembloids that recapitulate the uterine tissue, my group will examine how embryonic cells use metabolic cues derived from the maternal environment to regulate the genetic and molecular programs that drive developmental processes, including the cell specialization that directs tissue formation. Our work will open a window into the intimate communications that guide embryonic development and, in turn, help prevent developmental defects.