Yi Athena Ren
Assistant Professor of Reproductive Biology, Animal Science

Research Focus
The Ren lab aims to apply innovative biotechnologies and principles of systems biology to tackle open questions in these areas:
- Ovarian physiology. We seek to answer important questions in ovarian biology from two angles. First, to understand fundamental molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms that are crucial for ovarian function/dysfunction and female fertility/infertility. Insights along this line promise to translate into preventive and therapeutic interventions to improve women’s reproductive health. And second, as female reproductive tissues are among few places in adult life to go through drastic and cyclic construction and deconstruction, we are also curious to explore the ovary as a unique model for probing mechanisms underlying tissue homeostasis and remodeling under hormonal control. Such knowledge may provide mechanisms that are applicable to other biological process such as hormonally sensitive tumorigenesis.
- Developmental programing of health and diseases (DoHAD) of ovarian function and reproductive health. Early-life environment and events often have long-term impact on the health and diseases of an individual (developmental programming). The effect and mechanism of such impact vary depending on the type of early-life perturbation, the critical developmental time window, the specific tissue/organ, and the interaction between these factors. Our research aims to address both the long-term impact and the mechanism of early-life disruptions, such as metabolic and endocrine, on ovarian function. We hope our studies will serve as natural experiments to further the understanding of normal physiology, as well provide a foundation for effective reversal of adverse effects.
Presentations and Activities
- “New Blood, New Life: Remodeling of ovarian vasculature for successful ovulation.” UT South Western, Dallas, TX, April 15th, 2024. Invited talk.
- “The Matrix: Reimagine the mammalian ovary as an engineering quest.” Engineering for Reproductive Medicine Symposium, Cornell University, October 26th, 2023. Ithaca, NY. Keynote speaker.
- "From Gene Regulation to Physiology: Orchestration of Time and Space in Mammalian Ovulation." Tri-Repro Symposium, Cornell University, April 2023, Ithaca, NY. Keynote Speaker.
- “Cattle CoRSIVS: Novel epigenetic markers for improving reproductive performance in dairy cattle”. NE2227, USDA Multistate Annual Meeting, May 2023, State College, Pennsylvania.
- "Mice with Patched1 deletion in pituitary folliculo-stellate cells exhibit adult onset hypogonadotropic hypogonadism". 51th Annual Meeting, Society for the Study of Reproduction, New Orleans, USA, (July 2018). 51st Annual Meeting. July 2018. Society for the Study of Reproduction. New Orleans, LA. Talk.
Education
- Doctorate in Reproductive Physiology
Cornell University - 2011 - Bachelor's in Animal Science
China Agricultural University - 2006
Recent Research
- Richards, J. S., Ren, Y. A., Candelaria, N. C., Adams, J. E., & Rajkovic, A. (2018). Ovarian theca cell recruitment, differentiation, and impact on fertility: 2017 update. Endocrine Reviews. 39:1-20.
- York, J. P., Ren, Y. A., Liu, J., Zhang, B., Wang, F., Zhang, A., Winnier, G. E., Webb, P., Xia, X., & Zhang, P. (2016). Growth arrest specific-2 is a critical mediator of germ cell cyst breakdown and folliculogenesis. Scientific Reports. 6.
- Adams, J., Liu., Z., Ren, Y. A., Wun, W., Zhou, W., Kenigsberg, S., Librach, C., Valdes, C., Gibbons, W., & Richards, J. (2016). Enhanced inflammatory transcriptome in the granulosa cells of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Journal of Clinical Endrocrinology and Metabolism. 101:3459-3468.
- Ren, Y. A., Mullany, L. K., Liu, Z., Wong, K. K., Lonzano, G., Herron, A., & Richards, J. S. (2016). Mutant tumor protein p53 promotes epithelial ovarian cancer by regulating tumor differentiation, metastasis, and responsiveness to steroid hormones. Cancer Research.
- Ren, Y. A., Liu, Z., Mullany, L. K., Fan, C. M., & Richards, J. S. (2015). Growth Arrest Specific-1 (GAS1) Is a C/EBP Target Gene That Functions in Ovulation and Corpus Luteum Formation in Mice. Biology of Reproduction. 94:1-12.
- Liu, Z., Ren, Y. A., Pangas, S. A., Adams, J., Zhou, W., Castrillon, D. H., Wilhelm, D., & Richards, J. S. (2015). FOXO1/3 and PTEN deletion in granulosa cells promotes ovarian granulosa cell tumor. Molecular Endocrinology. 29:1006-1024.
- Mullany, L. K., Liu, Z., Wong, K. K., Deneke, V., Ren, Y. A., Herron, A., & Richards, J. S. (2014). Tumor suppressor protein 53 and steroid hormones provide a new paradigm for ovarian cancer metastases. Molecular Endocrinology. 28:127-137.
- Ren, Y. A., Cowan, R. G., Migone, F. F., & Quirk, S. M. (2012). Over-activation of hedgehog signaling alters development of the ovarian vasculature in mice. Biology of Reproduction. 86:174.
- Migone, F. F., Ren, Y. A., Cowan, R. G., Harman, R. M., Nikitin, A. Y., & Quirk, S. M. (2012). Dominant activation of the hedgehog signaling pathway alters development of the female reproductive tract (2012). Genesis: The Journal of Genetics and Development. 50:28-40.
- Ren, Y. A., Cowan, R. G., Harman, R. M., & Quirk, S. M. (2009). Dominant activation of the hedgehog signaling pathway in the ovary alters theca development and prevents ovulation. Molecular Endocrinology. 23:711-723.
Awards & Honors
- Schwartz Research Award, Cornell University, 2022 (Two winners each year across the entire university.)
- PCCW Affinito-Stewart Award, President’s Council of Cornell Women, Cornell University, 2021
- Second Place, Cornelia Post Channing New Investigator Award, 47nd Annual Meeting, Society for the Study of Reproduction, 2014
- Lalor Foundation Merit Award, 47th Annual Meeting,Society for the Study of Reproduction, 2014
Courses Taught
- ANSC 4500/5500 Model Organisms in Reproductive Sciences
- BIOAP/ANSC 7570 Current Concepts in Reproductive Biology
- ANSC 6230 Reproductive Biology Journal Club
- BIOAP/ANSC 4270/6270 Fundamentals of Endocrinology
Contact Information
203 Morrison Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
yar9 [at] cornell.edu
Yi Athena in the news

News
An interdisciplinary collaboration used a cutting-edge form of RNA tagging to map the gene expression that occurs during follicle maturation and ovulation in mice, an approach that could lead to therapeutic treatments for infertility.
- Animal Science
- Genomics

News
Two faculty members are winners of 2022 Schwartz Research Funds for Women and other Underrepresented Faculty in the Life Sciences.
- Animal Science
- Agriculture
- Animals