Funded by NIH - Department of Health and Human Services
Funding Years: 2011-2016
Disorders of Sex Development are defined as congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomic sex is atypical. One of the most defining moments of our lives is when, in the womb, we embark on a male or female path. Disruption of typical male or female development, whether mild or severe, results in DSD, which occur quite frequently, in about 1% of the human population. DSD are extremely stressful for parents and, as they grow older, the affected person and are often accompanied by additional medical and psychological problems; yet little is known about the causes of DSD and what healthcare teams should do in the short and long term. This project proposes to design a way to learn about the genetic causes and the psychological consequences of DSD, and to use these data to provide healthcare teams with procedures to evaluate and improve care for these patients and their families.
PI(s): David Sandberg
Co-I(s): Eric Vilain, Edward Goldman