The Open Philanthropy Project recommended a grant of $2,000,000 over four years to the California Institute of Technology to support research by Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz on reproductive biology. Dr. Zernicka-Goetz’s proposed research would focus on understanding the molecular processes by which a single cell gives rise to all of the cell types and organ/tissue structures that comprise a fully developed embryo.
Progress in this area could eventually enable people with fertility challenges to have children and could eventually help reduce the incidence of a wide variety of high-burden disorders (such as heart disease, chronic pain, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease) and promote other positive outcomes. Dr. Zernicka-Goetz’s research is amongst the most promising our science team has encountered so far in this field.
This falls within Open Philanthropy's work on scientific research, specifically within its interest in advancing transformative basic science.