Fertilization News and Research

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CHOP scientist says that mitochondria play central role in human evolution, disease

Mitochondria are not only the power plants of our cells, these tiny structures also play a central role in our physiology. Furthermore, by enabling flexible physiological responses to new environments, mitochondria have helped humans and other mammals to adapt and evolve throughout the history of life on earth.

26 Sep 2015

Study explores effectiveness of frontline treatments for couples with unexplained infertility

A breast cancer drug with promise for improving the chance that couples with unexplained infertility can have a baby without increasing their risk of multiple births apparently does not deliver, according to a comparative study.

24 Sep 2015

Scientists map genes responsible for early embryonic development in humans

An international team of scientists led from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet has for the first time mapped all the genes that are activated in the first few days of a fertilized human egg. The study, which is being published in the journal Nature Communications, provides an in-depth understanding of early embryonic development in human - and scientists now hope that the results will help finding for example new therapies against infertility.

3 Sep 2015

New non-invasive image processing technique may improve IVF success rates

A collaboration between biologists and engineers at Monash University has led to the development of a new non-invasive image processing technique to visualise embryo formation. Researchers were able to see, for the first time, the movement of all of the cells in living mammalian embryos as they develop under the microscope.

29 Aug 2015

UVA researchers reveal how sperm use 'harpoon' to facilitate fertilization

Could the sperm harpoon the egg to facilitate fertilization? That's the intriguing possibility raised by the University of Virginia School of Medicine's discovery that a protein within the head of the sperm forms spiky filaments, suggesting that these tiny filaments may lash together the sperm and its target.

28 Aug 2015

Melatonin hormone can help prevent cardiovascular disease risk in children born through ART

Studies are revealing that children born through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The increased risk is due to changes in the expression of the genes important for vascular health. These studies suggest that the composition of the solutions in which embryo fertilization and culturing are done is to blame.

28 Aug 2015

Pre-birth arsenic exposure associated with early puberty, obesity in mice

Female mice exposed in utero, or in the womb, to low levels of arsenic through drinking water displayed signs of early puberty and became obese as adults, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health.

27 Aug 2015

Same-sex couples encounter more obstacles to infertility treatment compared to opposite-sex couples

Same-sex couples encounter more obstacles to treatment for infertility than opposite-sex couples, suggests a new study that will be presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

24 Aug 2015

Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator funds advanced biomedical research projects

A few years ago, Andrew Myers' laboratory discovered a new way to synthesize an important class of antibiotics that could one day tackle the toughest, most resistant infections.

20 Aug 2015

IVF may be less successful if donor eggs are frozen

Women who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be less likely to reach the stage of giving birth if the donor eggs used for the procedure are frozen rather than fresh, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Aug 2015

Using frozen eggs for in vitro fertilization linked to lower live birth rates

Compared to using fresh oocytes (eggs) for in vitro fertilization, use of cryopreserved (frozen) donor oocytes in 2013 was associated with lower live birth rates, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

12 Aug 2015

Women who conceive babies through IVF at increased risk of experiencing GORD

Women who give birth to babies conceived by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) are at increased risk of experiencing long-term symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), according to the results of a study published in the UEG Journal.

11 Aug 2015

Animal study shows children exposed to famine grow smaller, become susceptible to metabolic diseases

Starvation early in life can alter an organism for generations to come, according to a new study in roundworms. The effects are what Duke University biologist Ryan Baugh terms a "bet-hedging strategy."

3 Aug 2015

RGS2 protein plays significant role in healthy egg-sperm union in mice

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a protein that plays a vital role in healthy egg-sperm union in mice. The protein RGS2 can delay an egg's development into an embryo in order to allow time for sperm to arrive and merge with the egg in a healthy fertilization process. The embryo cannot survive without the male chromosomes.

28 Jul 2015

Researchers discover new mechanism that regulates size of human cells

Every cell in the human body has to be a particular size in order to function correctly. The research group led by Markus Hengstschläger of the Institute for Medical Genetics at the Medical University of Vienna has now discovered a new mechanism that regulates cell size.

14 Jul 2015

Chromosomal abnormalities in embryos created for IVF can be predicted at earliest stage of human development

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, Stanford University, University of Valencia and IGENOMIX have discovered that chromosomal abnormalities in human embryos created for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, can be predicted within the first 30 hours of development at the cell-1 stage which results from the union of a female egg and male sperm.

8 Jul 2015

Researchers receive 2.6 million euros to study evolution of sexual reproduction in plants

A European and US consortium coordinated by Jorg Becker, group leader at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC; Portugal), has now received funding of 2.6 million euros for 3 years to study the evolution of sexual reproduction in plants. The project is funded under the scope of ERA-CAPS, a European network dedicated to support research activities in Plant Sciences.

3 Jul 2015

Groundbreaking UVA research may lead to creation of male contraceptive

Groundbreaking new reproductive research from the School of Medicine has identified key molecular events that could be playing a critical role as sperm and egg fuse to create new life. The findings might one day lead to the creation of a male contraceptive.

24 Jun 2015

Women who underwent uterine transplantation adjust to sudden restoration of fertility

In October last year the Gothenburg, Sweden, group of Mats Bra?nnstro?m announced the world's first live birth following the transplantation of a donated uterus.

17 Jun 2015

Study highlights medical, health care challenges faced by African American lesbian or bisexual women

More than one third of African American lesbian or bisexual women reported a negative experience with a heathcare provider and many of those women did not seek medical care the next time they were ill, according to a study published in LGBT Health, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

16 Jun 2015