Fertilization News and Research

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Forbidden fruit: Scientists venture into “embryoid” manufacturing

After working on stem cells for several years, scientists have now announced that they have found a way to synthesize structures that look like very primitive human embryos. While some hailed the discovery, others questioned the ethical basis of manufacturing synthetic humans.

12 Sep 2019

Breakthrough research may help women extend their fertility windows

What if women could press pause on their biological clocks? Human eggs begin to mature from the onset of a woman's first period.

10 Sep 2019

Simple technique to choose the sex of offspring by separating X and Y sperm

A simple, reversible chemical treatment can segregate X-bearing sperm from Y-bearing sperm, allowing dramatic alteration of the normal 50/50 male/female offspring ratio, according to a new study by Masayuki Shimada and colleagues at Hiroshima University, published on August 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. The study was performed in mice, but the technique is likely to be widely applicable to other mammals as well.

From PLOS ONE 16 Aug 2019

New computational method reveals genetic patterns in massive jumble of cells

Scientists have devised a new computational method that reveals genetic patterns in the massive jumble of individual cells in the body.

5 Aug 2019

Folic acid supplementation mitigates risk of neural tube defects linked to HIV drug

Dolutegravir is a preferred medication for treating HIV infection, but it recently has been linked to a 6- to 9-fold increase in the risk for neural tube defects among babies born to mothers receiving the drug during early gestation.

24 Jul 2019

Receptor in the uterus can detect sperm molecule, aids in sperm survival

Why does it take 200 million sperms to fertilize a single egg? The single sperm that reached the finished line has successfully survived multiple checkpoints within the female reproductive tract, dubbed as pre-fertilization events. Now, a new study shows that the uterus contains receptors that facilitate sperm survival.

19 Jul 2019

Ancient epigenetic change deactivates some genes linked to cancer

An epigenetic change, a form of DNA control, that deactivates some genes linked to cancer late in human development has been conserved for more than 400 million years, new research led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research suggests.

11 Jul 2019

Mechanism Behind Low Cancer Occurrence In Bats Signals Potential Treatment Strategies For Humans

Cancer is a leading cause of death in aging populations. Despite decades of research, cancer treatments are still inefficient and have unacceptable side effects that continue to prompt an urgent need for new approaches to prevention and treatment.

4 Jul 2019

Healthy mice pups can be produced from sperm without short RNA chains

Scientists from the University of Bath are challenging the claims of two high profile papers from 2018 which reported that in the mouse, RNA has to be added to sperm for them to be fully fertile.

4 Jul 2019

Data collected by ESHRE show rise in use of IVF in infertility treatment

The latest annual data collected by ESHRE from European national registries show another rise in the cumulative use of IVF in the treatment of infertility, although success rates after IVF or ICSI appear to have reached a peak, with pregnancy rates per started treatment calculated at 27.1% after IVF and 24.3% after ICSI.

25 Jun 2019

Blastocyst transfer linked to higher risk of preterm birth, large-for-gestational-age rates

The transfer of embryos cultured for five or six days after fertilization in IVF and ICSI has become routine in many fertility clinics.

24 Jun 2019

Most women glad to do genetic testing before IVF, reports survey

The most effective way to increase the odds that an embryo will successfully implant during in vitro fertilization is genetic testing to see if the embryo is normal.

21 Jun 2019

Study focuses on the recurrence of developmental disorder in future pregnancies

Having a child with a developmental disorder can cause parents to worry about the outcome of further pregnancies.

17 Jun 2019

Trump administration cracks down on fetal tissue research

The Trump administration is cutting funding for fetal tissue research despite opposition from scientists and clinicians.

10 Jun 2019

UCSF Medical Center backs off plan to deepen ties with Dignity Health

UCSF Medical Center officials said Tuesday they no longer would pursue a formal affiliation with Dignity Health, a large Catholic health care system that restricts care on the basis of religious doctrine.

28 May 2019

Are fruit fly 'avatars' the next step in personalized medicine?

Researchers have created fruit fly “avatars” that have helped to guide treatment for a man who had terminal colon cancer.

24 May 2019

Zebrafish embryo could help better understand the potential underpinnings of brain disorders

A close look at the rapidly developing zebrafish embryo is helping neuroscientists better understand the potential underpinnings of brain disorders, including autism and schizophrenia.

24 May 2019

Spatial configuration of the genome is not inherited, but set up during embryogenesis

The architecture of the DNA-protein complexes that make up the genome in each cell nucleus regulates the course of early embryonic development.

23 May 2019

Men who delay fatherhood put health of partners, unborn children at risk

Men who delay starting a family have a ticking "biological clock" -- just like women -- that may affect the health of their partners and children, according to Rutgers researchers.

13 May 2019