Media Formulations To Enhance Embryo Formation In Assisted Reproduction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$660,133.00
Summary
The increasing age of parenthood has led to an explosion in the demand for assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF). This procedure has a poor success rate and is limited by the ability of fertilised eggs to mature into early embryos in the lab prior to being transferred into women. We will develop new compounds that improve embryo growth in the clinic, which will improve IVF success rates.
Development Of A Novel Microfluidic Device To Treat Male Infertility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$508,397.00
Summary
This research aims to develop a novel technology for the separation of high quality sperm. It is envisaged this will replace existing technology to improve the reproductive outcomes of both humans, as well as animals.
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+)-raising Agents For Improving Oocyte Quality
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$445,827.00
Summary
Many women cannot have children because of suboptimal egg quality, often due to aging. Currently, the only option is to use better quality eggs donated from another woman. This project will use pharmacological agents to promote recently discovered pathways in eggs central to determining quality. Importantly, we will investigate a simple and practical approach that can be used in clinics for augmenting these pathways to improve oocyte quality for the first time.
Infertility is common and although IVF is widely accepted, the procedure is expensive and is associated with health risks. Using laboratory animals, we have made significant advances towards developing new technologies that can mature eggs and produce embryos in vitro, but without women receiving hormone injections. This project will seek means to combine the benefits of two of our existing technologies into one integrated system, to provide hormone-free infertility treatment.