Spring 2026 Grantee Highlight:
Amy Si-Ying Lee

The placenta is the first functional organ to form during human development and serves as the fetus’s life-support system throughout pregnancy. When placental function is disrupted, serious complications can result, including pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and fetal mortality. Central to these functions is the syncytiotrophoblast, a unique multinucleated cell layer that coordinates nutrient delivery, gas exchange, hormone production, and defense against pathogens.

The Lee lab will investigate how this specialized cell controls the synthesis of the proteins needed to establish and maintain these essential activities. This project investigates how specialized mRNA translation mechanisms regulate placental development and how disruption of these pathways may contribute to pregnancy complications.  Using human organoid models, placental tissues, and complementary molecular approaches, the team will examine how specialized mRNA translation pathways regulate syncytiotrophoblast formation and function. By uncovering how these processes support healthy placental development, and how their disruption may contribute to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, this work could provide new insights into pregnancy complications and fetal health.

Learn more about the Lee Lab: https://leelab.hms.harvard.edu