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University of Missouri

Ciro Amato, PhD

Ciro Amato Portrait

Assistant Professor of Surgery and Urology, School of Medicine

NextGen Focus Area: Developmental biology, male reproductive health, sex differentiation, environmental contributors to birth defects

Dr. Amato’s research is dedicated to uncovering the developmental origins of genital birth defects, which are among the most prevalent anomalies globally. Despite their frequency, the precise cause of these defects remain largely unknown and effective preventative measures are lacking. Using genetic mouse models, next-generation sequencing, organ culture techniques, and cutting-edge microscopy, the Amato lab aims to uncover the unknown causes of genital birth defects. Specifically, the lab focuses on identifying the function of unique cell types, the roles of hormone signaling, and the negative impacts of environmental exposures during the orchestration of genital formation. The goal is to then use the information gained from this research to develop pre-natal preventatives or surgical improvements for genital defects in humans.

Precision Health Impact:

  • Understanding the causes of genital birth defects
  • Developing surgical alternatives or preventatives for genital defects

Publications:

Amato CM, Yao HHC. New uses for an old technique: live imaging on the slice organ culture to study reproductive processes. Biol Reprod. 2024 Jun 12;110(6):1055–64.

Amato CM, Xu X, Yao HHC. An extra-genital cell population contributes to urethra closure during mouse penis development. bioRxiv. 2023 Nov 11;2023.11.09.564741.

Amato CM, Fricke A, Marella S, Mogus JP, Bereman M, McCoy KA. An experimental evaluation of the efficacy of perinatal sulforaphane supplementation to decrease the incidence and severity of vinclozolin-induced hypospadias in the mouse model. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2022 Sep 15;451:116177.

Amato CM, Yao HHC, Zhao F. One Tool for Many Jobs: Divergent and Conserved Actions of Androgen Signaling in Male Internal Reproductive Tract and External Genitalia. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022;13:910964.

Amato CM, Yao HHC. Developmental and sexual dimorphic atlas of the prenatal mouse external genitalia at the single-cell level. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Jun 22;118(25):e2103856118.

Google Scholar

Email: ciro.amato@missouri.edu
Department website: https://medicine.missouri.edu/departments/surgery/faculty