Dr. Elvan Böke, Group Leader, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Böke completed a PhD in cell cycle control. This led to the discovery that two major phosphatases in the cell, PP1 and PP2A are under tight control and act in a relay to fine tune the controls of mitotic progression (Grallert*, Boke* et al, Nature, 2015). Her postdoctoral research in cytoskeleton revealed a novel way to organize the cytoplasm, in the form of a rigid, giant body assembled by a physiological amyloid network in dormant oocytes (Boke et al, Cell, 2016). She is the corresponding author of several publications describing her postdoctoral work, highlighting her scientific credentials from an early stage. She set up her own lab in 2017 to study aspects of dormancy in oocytes. A major achievement has been the initiation of collaboration with Hospital Clinic Barcelona (ranked the best hospital in Spain and one of the 25 best in the world), and an IVF Clinic (Eugin) to study human oocytes.
Research Focus
"Aiming to reverse ageing in egg cells"
More than 25% of female fertility problems are unexplained, pointing to a huge gap in our understanding of female reproduction. Focusing on uncovering the mysteries of egg cells in their work, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elvan Böke and her team discovered that egg cells are not damaged by toxic proteins, thanks to their different organelles.The aim of the research has been to further our knowledge of the egg cell and to discover solutions to the fertility problems women face after the age of 40.
Key references
- Rodríguez-Nuevo A, Torres A., Duran JM, De Guirior C, Martínez-Zamora MA, Böke E. Oocytes maintain ROS-free mitochondrial metabolism by suppressing complex I. 2022, Nature, Jul;607(7920):756-761
- Boke E. Unravelling oocyte ultrastructure. 2022, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology.
