Cytoskeletal mechanisms that preserve chromosome fidelity and reproductive potential across the lifespan
Binyam Mogessie investigates how the cytoskeleton safeguards the fidelity of chromosome segregation in mammalian oocytes, a process central to reproductive lifespan, healthy development, and evolutionary fitness. His lab uncovers how actin networks, centromeric proteins, and age-sensitive molecular pathways coordinate the physical mechanics of meiosis. These mechanisms break down with age, leading to aneuploidy in human eggs, a major cause of infertility, miscarriage, and congenital disorders. The Mogessie Lab integrates high-resolution live imaging, quantitative cell biology, engineered protein-degradation systems, and single-cell perturbation approaches to define the molecular logic of oocyte maturation and its decline with age. Because oocytes are among the longest-lived cells in the human body and maintain function for decades, their cytoskeletal architecture offers a unique system for studying cellular integrity, resilience, and decline over long time scales. This work aligns with the Wu Tsai Institute’s mission by advancing a mechanistic understanding of how cells maintain information and function across the lifespan, and by bridging molecular cell biology with broader questions about aging, human potential, and the foundations of cognitive and developmental health.
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Biography
Mogessie is a cell biologist who investigates the mechanisms that ensure accurate chromosome segregation in mammalian oocytes. He earned his undergraduate degree at Jacobs University in Germany, completed his PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen. He joined Yale in 2022, where his research focuses on reproductive aging and cytoskeletal dynamics. Outside the lab, he is passionate about hip-hop culture and lyricism and enjoys breaking down stereotypes about who practices cutting-edge science.