Elizabeth Wasmuth studies how sex hormone receptors drive development and disease. These receptors guide sexual differentiation and reproductive function early in life but later reactivate in aging tissues—fueling nearly 40% of cancers. Wasmuth’s lab combines structural biology and cancer research to uncover how these receptors change shape, form aberrant interactions, and evolve drug resistance. By revealing the shared and unique mechanisms of these powerful transcription factors, the Wasmuth lab aims to demystify the role sex hormone receptors play throughout the life cycle.