Fertilization News and Research

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Psychoactive ingredient in marijuana may impair ability to produce viable embryos

Female eggs exposed to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, have an impaired ability to produce viable embryos, and are significantly less likely to result in a viable pregnancy, according to an animal study accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.

2 Apr 2020

Key protein in sperm production could aid male infertility treatments

Researchers have discovered that a key protein drives sperm production, knowledge that may help infertile couples conceive.

26 Mar 2020

Targeting critical enzyme for sperm formation could help address male infertility

While some of our body's cells divide in a matter of hours, the process of making sperm, meiosis, alone takes about 14 days from start to finish. And fully six of those days are spent in the stage known as the pachytene, when pairs of chromosomes from an individual's mother and father align and connect.

25 Mar 2020

Scientists identify new role of important factor in early embryonic development

In collaboration with Stanford University, a working group from MedUni Vienna’s Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, led by Mark Wossidlo, has identified the role of a factor involved in early embryonic development.

20 Mar 2020

SPRK1 enzyme plays role in reorganizing the paternal genome during fertilization

A sperm enters an egg, an embryo develops and eventually a baby is born. But back up a second -- how does the mother's half-genome actually merge with the father's half-genome to form one new human genome?

13 Mar 2020

'Primitive' stem cells shown to replace and repair damaged blood vessels in the retina

Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have successfully turned back the biological hands of time, coaxing adult human cells in the laboratory to revert to a primitive state, and unlocking their potential to replace and repair damage to blood vessels in the retina caused by diabetes.

9 Mar 2020

First baby born from frozen immature eggs matured in the lab

Cancer can take a toll on a woman’s body, with many unable to conceive after rigorous treatments. In some cases, especially for women who have no children yet, they opt for egg cell freezing so they can still become pregnant after treatment. Now, for the first time, a woman has given birth to a baby from frozen immature eggs harvested from her five years ago.

19 Feb 2020

New quick and convenient microfluidic chip to assess male fertility

Current tests for male fertility include measuring the concentration and motility of spermatozoa. However, other characteristics of sperm, such as their ability to follow a chemical trail to the egg, can influence the likelihood of fertilization.

19 Feb 2020

First transplant of deceased donor's uterus in Sweden

The Swedish team responsible for uterine transplantation research has, for the first time, transplanted a uterus from a deceased donor. The operation proceeded without complications and the recipient is doing well.

18 Feb 2020

Slightly increased risk of death for babies conceived by IVF

A new study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility in February 2020 reports a higher risk for mortality in children who were conceived by the in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique followed by freezing of the embryos, compared to those naturally conceived, but only in the first few weeks of life.

18 Feb 2020

Unique reproductive trait for seagrass revealed

Seagrasses have long been known as some of Earth's most remarkable organisms--descendants of flowering land plants that have re-colonized the ocean by developing traits that allow them to grow, pollinate, and release seeded fruits while fully immersed in salty seawater.

16 Feb 2020

Discovery of compound that reverses the fertility clock

The reproductive years of a woman are at their peak before the age of 30. Beyond that, fertility starts to decline, and by the age of 40, fertility potential is about half the level it was before 30 years old. Many women experience fertility issues, but now a new study on mice may help reverse the clock on eggs, offering new fertility hope to older women.

13 Feb 2020

New method to measure mutations in father's sperm may reveal ASD risk in future children

While the causes of autism spectrum disorder are not fully understood, researchers believe both genetics and environment play a role.

13 Feb 2020

Pioneering project on genomic edition through CRISPR/Cas9 to study early embryonic development

Characterization studies of early embryonic development are limited, mainly due to the lack of samples and the obvious legal and ethical limitations.

11 Feb 2020

Study explores how some mammals postpone development of their embryos

How do some mammals postpone the development of their embryos to await better conditions for having offspring? A recent study at the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine explored this reproductive enigma, which can occur in more than 130 species of mammals as well as in some marsupials.

10 Feb 2020

Growing eggs and sperm to treat infertility

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, have reported, in the journal Cell Reports, the mechanism of how the very early precursor or stem cells which eventually give rise to the germ cells, eggs and sperm, are formed over the course of development. This could help create eggs and sperms under laboratory conditions to help infertile people who don’t have sperms, or eggs, for instance.

9 Feb 2020

Researchers locate specific mutation in the gene responsible for Chédiak-Higashi syndrome

Humans and animals are made up of trillions of cells, and each cell contains DNA specific to that individual. Therefore, identifying DNA that causes genetic disorders gives researchers and clinicians a better understanding of how to treat inherited diseases and possibly prevent the diseases from being passed down to future generations.

30 Jan 2020

Robotic search for drugs that block sperm motility

The hunt for the first male contraceptive pill is on, and scientists at Dundee University may have the needed tool to find it – a robotic screening system.

29 Jan 2020

Conceived through ‘fertility fraud,’ she now needs fertility treatment

When Heather Woock was in her late 20s, she started researching her family history. As part of the project, she spit into a tube and sent it to Ancestry, a consumer DNA testing service. Then, in 2017, she started getting messages about the results from people who said they could be half siblings.

28 Jan 2020

Debate continues over donor sperm from deceased men

A new article published in the Journal of Medical Ethics continues to defend the concept of sperm donation from dead men, in order to improve sperm quality, and quantity. This would go far in addressing the current deficiency of donor sperm.

21 Jan 2020