Spring into Science - Sex Differences in Health and Disease with Dr. David Page

Description

Part Two of Whitehead Institute’s Spring into Science Series

Why is there a higher incidence of heart disease in men than women? A greater prevalence of autoimmune disorders in women? David Page, Director and Member of Whitehead Institute and a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, investigates the genetic origins of sex biases in human health and disease. Although we are commonly taught that the difference between XY(male) and XX (female) biology is a matter of sex hormones produced by the testes or ovaries, in fact there are a number of genes that differ between the X and Y chromosomes that are expressed outside of the reproductive tract. Differences between Y-linked genes and their X-linked counterparts may result in distinct biochemical environments throughout the body. Page will be discussing the latest research about how sex biases in disease may originate from these biochemical differences between XY and XX cells.