Metabolic And Molecular Basis Of Embryo Signalling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$409,836.00
Summary
Cells in the body are powered by mitochondria that essentially generate the energy required for development. This grant will determine how the environment affects the mitochondria in the developing embryo and determine the impacts to the embryo and pregnancy if a mitochondria is partially shut down.
Compound Culture Media To Improve Human IVF Pregnancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$254,340.00
Summary
In Australia 1 in 6 couples require IVF to conceive. Although pregnancy rates have improved over the last 10 years the live birth rate in Australia per cycle is only 17%. This project will assess a new method for the culture of embryos for the ability to maintain embryo vitality and produce healthy babies.
Improving Oocyte Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number To Enhance Female Reproductive Capacity.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$670,867.00
Summary
Eggs with too few copies of mitochondrial DNA either fail to fertilise or arrest during early development. By supplementing eggs with mitochondrial DNA, we have been able to enhance embryo quality and gene expression profiles. By breeding the offspring derived from eggs given mitochondrial supplementation, we will determine if they and their progeny meet normal developmental milestones, regulate the transmission of mitochondrial DNA appropriately, and are healthy and fertile.
A BubR1-centred Network For Non-invasively Measuring Human Oocyte Quality
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$532,207.00
Summary
Oocyte quality is the most important determinant of pregnancy outcome. Selecting the best oocytes for fertility treatments like IVF would therefore greatly improve success rates and reduce costs. We have identified master oocyte regulators and have applied novel digital technology to measure these regulators in a single oocyte. This project will apply this expertise to develop new approaches for evaluating an oocyte’s potential thereby informing its suitability for use in fertility treatment.
I am a basic scientist with an interest in the cellular biology of the ovary, and the roles of the matrix between cells of the ovary in controlling fertility and hormone synthesis.
Xenobiotics - Oxidative Stress In The Mammalian Ovary
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$377,922.00
Summary
Synthetic chemicals called xenobiotics in the environment are capable of interfering with female fertility. Xenobiotics can trigger oocyte depletion of the ovary and infertility. Exhaustion of the oocyte population results in the menopause, loss of ovarian hormones and profoundly affects female health through increasing susceptibility to heart and bone disease. This research will characterise xenobiotic effects on the ovary and will lead to significant advances in reproductive healthcare.
The Importance Of ADAMTS Proteases In Ovulation And Fertility.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$205,500.00
Summary
In the ovary eggs are matured within a specialised organ called a follicle. Female fertility is dependent on the efficient release of eggs from the follicle as well as transport of the egg to the site of fertilization. During these processes the egg is encased within a mucous-like cushion made of cells, proteins and complex carbohydrates. This cushion or matrix plays an active role in egg release, transport and fertilization. Proper formation of this cushion just before egg release is therefore ....In the ovary eggs are matured within a specialised organ called a follicle. Female fertility is dependent on the efficient release of eggs from the follicle as well as transport of the egg to the site of fertilization. During these processes the egg is encased within a mucous-like cushion made of cells, proteins and complex carbohydrates. This cushion or matrix plays an active role in egg release, transport and fertilization. Proper formation of this cushion just before egg release is therefore essential for efficient female fertility. This project examines the role of newly identified proteins and protease enzymes that are involved in the formation and function of the matrix cushion around eggs. This has important implications for the causes of infertility in women as well as improving the efficacy of IVF techniques.Read moreRead less
Reproductive health critically impacts a woman’s wellbeing, irrespective of her choice to have children. The ovary and its hormones govern physiological events regulating health at puberty, across the menstrual cycle, during the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, and in parturition, lactation and menopause. The major health burdens concerning ovaries that we are studying include polycystic ovarian syndrome and assisted reproductive technologies used to treat infertility.