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Updated: Aug 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Investigating mRNA Spatial Distribution in Drosophila Muscle Tissue
Published on: September 8, 2023
Chemical and molecular tools to probe biological sex differences at multiple length scales
Nicole E Félix Vélez1,2, Rayyan M Gorashi1,2, Brian A Aguado1,2
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. baguado@eng.ucsd.edu.
Abstract:
Biological sex differences are observed at multiple different length scales and across organ systems. Gaps in knowledge remain regarding our understanding of how molecular, cellular, and environmental factors contribute to physiological sex differences. Here, we provide our perspective on how chemical and molecular tools can be leveraged to explore sex differences in biology at the molecular, intracellular, extracellular, tissue, and organ length scales. We provide examples where chemical and molecular tools were used to explore sex differences in the cardiovascular, nervous, immune, and reproductive systems. We also provide a future outlook where chemical and molecular tools can be applied to continue investigating sex differences in biology, with the ultimate goal of addressing inequities in biomedical research and approaches to clinical treatments.
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