Sperm News and Research

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The term sperm refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell. The human sperm cell is haploid, so that its 23 chromosomes can join the 23 chromosomes of the female egg to form a diploid cell.

Mouse sperm can discriminate between its brethren and competing sperm, says study

Some mouse sperm can discriminate between its brethren and competing sperm from other males, clustering with its closest relatives to swim faster in the race to the egg. But this sort of cooperation appears to be present only in certain promiscuous species, where it affords an individual's sperm a competitive advantage over that of other males.

21 Jan 2010

Gently rocking embryos during IVF may improve success rates

Gently rocking embryos while they grow during in vitro fertilization (IVF) improves pregnancy rates in mice by 22 percent, new University of Michigan research shows. The procedure could one day lead to significantly higher IVF success rates in humans.

20 Jan 2010

Impact of life style factors on natural and medically assisted reproduction

The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has published a position statement on the impact of the life style factors obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption on natural and medically assisted reproduction.

20 Jan 2010

Effects of obesity, smoking and drinking on natural and medically assisted reproduction

19 Jan 2010

New procedure could lead to higher IVF success rates in humans

19 Jan 2010

Bone marrow transplantation survivors can father children: new study says

Men who were previously deemed sterile due to aggressive cancer treatments may still be able to biologically father children according to a new study published in the journal, Bone Marrow Transplantation.

18 Jan 2010

Chicago surrogacy firms launch program to aid parents with surrogacy births

Two Chicago-area surrogacy firms today announced the launch of a program designed to facilitate the delivery in Illinois of babies carried by gestational surrogates.

12 Jan 2010

A forum for clinicians and scientists to share research results and new developments

ESHRE invites you to attend its workshop on 'The search for excellence in IVF: a practical approach'. The workshop provides a forum for clinicians and scientists to share research results and discuss problems and new developments.

9 Jan 2010

Urologists use robot-assisted surgery to cut off average surgery time for vasectomy reversal

University of Florida urologists have used robot-assisted surgery to cut about 20 minutes off average surgery time for conventional vasectomy reversal using a microscope.

8 Jan 2010

Protein complex proves valuable for changing cell fate

The DNA contained within each of our cells is exactly the same, yet different types of cells - skin cells, heart cells, brain cells - perform very different functions. The ultimate fate of these cells is encoded not just in the DNA, but in a specific pattern of chemical modifications that overlay the DNA structure.

7 Jan 2010

Irvine Scientific receives CE mark for its ART products

Irvine Scientific, a leader in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) announced today that it has received CE mark for a full range of its media designed for ART: Complete P-1® Medium with DSS™, Blastocyst Freeze Media, Blastocyst Thaw Media, Embryo Freeze Media, Embryo Thaw Media, Complete Early Cleavage Medium® (ECM®) with DSS™ and Complete MultiBlast Medium® with DSS™, Sperm Washing Medium, Sperm Maintenance Medium w/ HSA, 7% PVP w/ HSA, 10% PVP w/ HSA.

5 Jan 2010

Embryo biopsy safe for singleton pregnancies

The largest and longest running study of children born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis and screening has shown that embryo biopsy does not adversely affect the health of babies born as the result of a subsequent singleton pregnancy.

23 Dec 2009

Scientists offer potential new way to combat malaria

Stopping male mosquitoes from sealing their sperm inside females with a 'mating plug' could prevent mosquitoes from reproducing, and offer a potential new way to combat malaria, say scientists publishing new results in PLoS Biology on 22 December.

22 Dec 2009

Embryo biopsy does not adversely affect health of newborn singleton PGD/PGS children

21 Dec 2009

CCB reports single busiest sales day in its 32 year history

California Cryobank (CCB), one of the world's oldest and most successful sperm banks, announced that Cyber Monday, the day following this year's Thanksgiving weekend, was the single busiest sales day in the 32 year history of the company.

15 Dec 2009

Study may help in treating sex differentiation disorders in children

Is it a boy or a girl? Expecting parents may be accustomed to this question, but contrary to what they may think, the answer doesn't depend solely on their child's sex chromosomes.

11 Dec 2009

Study on fruit flies may help in understanding the root cause of stem cell diseases

The body is a battle zone. Cells constantly compete with one another for space and dominance. Though the manner in which some cells win this competition is well known to be the survival of the fittest, how stem cells duke it out for space and survival is not as clear.

5 Dec 2009

Protein plays a key role in cancer and DNA repair

A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found. The work is helping researchers understand how cancer cells can resist radiation and chemotherapy, as well as how cells become cancerous in the first place.

4 Dec 2009

Sperm from men with NOA and OA capable of producing embryos

It has been thought that men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), a lack of sperm in the semen not caused by an obstruction within the reproductive system, are poor candidates for IVF. Now, researchers writing in the open access journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology have shown that sperm from men with NOA and obstructive azoospermia (OA) are equally capable of producing embryos.

3 Dec 2009

Breast Cancer Fund: Congress must enforce BPA ban in food and beverage containers

In the wake of the first evidence that American babies are born contaminated with a plastics chemical linked to birth defects and breast cancer, Congress must act immediately to protect infants and mothers.

3 Dec 2009