Sex differences

Whitehead Institute Member David Page and colleagues measured the effects of the sex chromosomes on two types of immune cells, gaining insights into the cell-type-specific effects of gene regulation by sex chromosome genes. Their work also explores the biological underpinnings of sex biases in immunity and autoimmune disease.

Research from Whitehead Institute Member David Page’s lab shows that the so-called inactive X chromosome, the mostly silent second X chromosome in females, plays a much more active role in gene expression and gene regulation than previously thought, with implications for how we think about sex differences in health and disease.

Jordana Bloom is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member David Page’s lab studying how hormonal changes during menopause affect gene expression throughout the body. We sat down with Bloom to learn more about her and her experiences in and out of the lab.