Molecular genetics of sex determination and gonad development [ 2003 - 2004 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Andrew Sinclair (Principal investigator) ,  A/Pr Craig Smith ,  Dr Peter Mcclive

Brief description Disorders of sexual development are among the most common forms of birth defects in humans (1 in 4,000 births). Many other childhood conditions with this incidence warrant prenatal diagnosis or neonatal screening. These disorders often result in infertility, genital abnormalities and gender mis-assignment. Uncertainty about a child s gender at birth can be very traumatic physically and psychologically for the individual and family concerned. There are profound consequences in later life for the affected individual. The cause of these problems is most often the failure of the delicate network of gene regulation that is responsible for proper development of testes or ovaries in the embryo. This research project will identify genes important for sex determination and development of the gonads, find out how these genes function and interact, and discover how they contribute to cases of aberrant sexual development in humans.

Funding Amount $AUD 539,000.00

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant