Jay Baltz, PhD

My laboratory works on mammalian oocyte growth and maturation and early embryo development. At the time a new life begins, the egg and embryo change very rapidly, virtually becoming a completely different organism every few hours. We are particularly interested in the physiological alterations that occur to accommodate the constantly changing nature of the egg and embryo and their implications for the health of the embryo and offspring. We want to understand the precisely-choreographed activation and deactivation of the array of transporters and other physiological mechanisms needed to supply the constantly changing needs of the egg and embryo during these earliest stages of development, and understand what can go wrong. Overall, we hope to add to our knowledge of the physiological processes important to mammalian eggs and embryos at the very beginning of life. We believe that this type of research will help improve the health of babies and the treatment of infertility through research leading to the development of improved techniques for producing healthy oocytes and embryos.