Elvira Nikalayevich

Dr. Elvira Nikalayevich obtained her doctoral degree in Molecular and Cell Biology in 2014 in Edinburgh, where she studied female meiosis in Drosophila under the supervision of Prof. Hiro Ohkura. During her postdoctoral project in the lab of Dr. Katja Wassmann, she discovered the phosphorylation pattern of meiosis-specific cohesin subunit Rec8 that regulates its cleavage upon chromosome segregation. Currently, Elvira is interested in the mechanobiological aspect of oocyte and zygote quality. Changes in the composition of the oocyte cortex, such as lack of branched actin, lead to critical alteration of physical properties of the cortex, appearance of cortical contractions, mixing of cytoplasm and redistribution of organelles. Altogether, these changes instigate critical drop in oocyte quality and the fertility rates.