When transgender men transition, they may choose to take androgens—masculinizing hormones including testosterone—and undergo gender-affirming surgery. Hormone treatments affect the entire body, from redistributing fat to terminating menstrual cycles, but “we don’t really know how much androgens work on the molecular level,” says Florian Raths, a researcher in single cell technology development who currently works as a consultant for Vevo Therapeutics.
That’s why, for a study published March 8 in Cell Genomics, Raths and colleagues pinpointed the molecular events that take place in breast tissue brought about by androgens. The changes lead to breast cells that resemble those seen in cisgender men, including the suppression of genes linked to breast cancer.
“This study is a “tour de force” showing the molecular effects of androgen therapy in the breast tissue of trans men,” Michael Irwig, an endocrinologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Massachusetts, who was not involved in the ...
