João Pedro Alves-Lopes

My research primarily focuses on early human germline development. I received a master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Lisbon and a PhD in regenerative medicine and human reproduction from Karolinska Institutet in Professor Olle Söder’s lab. After, I moved to the United Kingdom to complete my postdoctoral studies in human stem cell biology and germline development at the University of Cambridge in Professor Azim Surani’s lab. Currently, I work as an Assistant Professor and Team Leader at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health. My team and I have expertise in human pluripotent stem cell biology, human primordial germ cell development, and organoid culture systems.

Human primordial germ cells (hPGCs), the embryonic precursors of sperm and eggs, are specified in the early post-implantation embryo. Subsequently, hPGCs migrate through the primitive hindgut and dorsal mesentery into the developing gonads. After sex determination, hPGCs start to differentiate into gonocytes or oogonia in the developing testis or ovary, respectively. During this early developmental journey, hPGCs experience several selection checkpoints, which are fundamental to choosing the most suitable germ cells to pass the genetic and epigenetic information to the next generations.

My investigations converge on hPGC early development, which mainly occurs during a window of human embryonic development that we have limited access to study in vivo. To overcome these restrictions, we utilize human pluripotent stem cells and organoid cultures to model these early stages of development. Understanding the principles of hPGC specification, migration, and gonadal colonization will help us to identify the mechanisms driving some cases of infertility and the occurrence of germ cell tumours. Importantly, this knowledge will pave the way for developing efficient protocols for in vitro gametogenesis.

• 2024– Present   Teaching at the undergraduate course “Cell-, Stem Cell and Developmental Biology” at Karolinska Institutet.
• 2024– Present   Teaching at the PhD course “Gene Regulation in the Early Human Embryo” at Karolinska Institutet.
• 2023– Present   Teaching at the PhD course “Stem Cells and Organoids Models with Focus on Regenerative Medicine” at Karolinska Institutet.