CANR researchers awarded NIH fellowships for light and fertility studies
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EmailAlexandra Yaw and Brooke Van Loh have received fellowships from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to advance their work regarding the role of light in reproductive function and health
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Alexandra Yaw, a postdoctoral researcher, and Brooke Van Loh, a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Hanne Hoffman’s lab in the MSU Department of Animal Science, have received fellowships from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to advance their work regarding the role of light in reproductive function and health.
Yaw earned an NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), a career-development grant that offers postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to receive mentored research training and career development and support to help transition into an independent role in a tenure-track faculty position.
As part of the fellowship, Yaw will participate in two years of mentored research training at MSU, followed by up to three years of funded support to continue her research project, contingent on securing a tenure-track faculty position. While at MSU, Yaw will work closely with Hoffman, her primary sponsor for the grant, and co-sponsor, Dr. Lily Yan. She also collaborates with other MSU faculty and researchers, including Dr. Tom O’Halloran, Dr. Jason Knott, Dr. Jose Cibelli, Dr. Jim Ireland and Dr. Rob Fowkes.
Yaw’s fellowship award, entitled “Novel Diurnal Model for In Vitro Fertilization Studies,” will allow her to advance research on how light and circadian (24 hour) rhythms affect reproductive health. Her work investigates how light qualities, such as light intensity or daylength, impact changes in the neuroendocrine (brain and hormone) system that are essential for fertility and healthy pregnancy. Her work will involve the Nile grass rat, a diurnal rodent native to Kenya that exhibits day-active behavior, to better model human patterns compared to more commonly studied nocturnal animals.
By learning how varying light conditions influence fertility, Yaw hopes to address a growing concern: the rising infertility rates linked to modern light exposure disruptions. She is particularly interested in how photic cues—such as different intensities and wavelengths of light—can be used to improve fertility treatments. The funding from the fellowship will help Yaw transition to an independent career where she hopes that examining the combined effects of light quality and circadian timing will help identify targeted therapies that could significantly enhance fertility treatments.
“We know that almost all modern women experience non-natural light exposure, and once we understand how these individual components of light work, we can develop targeted therapies to adjust to what people need and when they need it,” said Yaw. “I believe in this work and that, within the span of my career, it can significantly impact the health of people struggling with infertility.”
Brooke Van Loh earned an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31). This fellowship will allow Van Loh to obtain mentored research training while furthering her dissertation research. Her primary collaborators at MSU are Hoffmann, Dr. Gina Leinninger and Dr. Alexa Veenema.
Van Loh’s fellowship project, "The Impacts of Shift Work-Like Lighting on Neuroendocrine Function," will allow her to study the intersection between mistimed light exposure—similar to the disruptions experienced by shift workers—and menstrual and mental health.
Van Loh will use mice as a model to examine how exposure to inconsistent light patterns impacts reproductive health. This includes assessing hormonal levels, ovarian function and uterine health. A significant component of Van Loh’s research is the exploration of mental health outcomes associated with disrupted light patterns.
She focuses on how her data could be used as a new mouse model for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of premenstrual syndrome characterized by clinical levels of depression and anxiety during the latter half of the menstrual cycle. Her work is motivated by previous studies suggesting that shift workers may experience exacerbated symptoms of PMDD due to light exposure misalignment.
Van Loh will also study the role of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) neurons within the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a region crucial for regulating circadian rhythms and linking light exposure to reproductive and mental health.
Overall, Van Loh’s research aims to unravel the complex relationship between mistimed light exposure and reproductive and mental health, providing insights that could lead to better management strategies for those affected by related issues.
“The stability offered by this fellowship helps me focus on the science and my training. The more research that goes into the impacts of shift work, the more awareness and knowledge that could change policy and inform decisions for people who may want to have children soon,” said Van Loh. “If we make these impacts and this research more common knowledge, it could benefit many people.”
