If I were a developmental biologist/geneticist, two questions that I would investigate are:
- What events during development determine whether a human is left-handed or right-handed?
- How does a mother prevent its immune system from reacting negatively to a developing embryo when 50% of the embryo’s genetic composition is foreign?
If I had to choose only one question to investigate, I would investigate question #2. As an integrated sciences student specializing in genetics and immunology, this question allows me to investigate within two of my favourite fields in science, while also placing emphasis on development.
If this question were solved, it would have impacts on developmental biology, science, as well as the community at large.
This investigation would help to answer whether embryo-specific gene expression plays a role in successful development of the embryo in the presence of the mother’s immune system.
In addition, by identifying how a mother’s immune system is prevented from reacting negatively to a developing embryo, it would have an impact on science by allowing us to gain insight on a potential factor that contributes to embryo mortality due to the mother’s immune system, which may then be investigated further in order to help prevent immune-mediated embryo mortality.
Furthermore, this investigation may provide ideas on how we can stop unwanted immune responses from occurring, which can have an impact on the community at large by solving problems such as allergies, inflammatory diseases, and rejection of transplanted organs.
One response to “If I were a developmental biologist”