Tag Archives: DNA
Studies look into how DNA crossovers can drive healthy or abnormal sperm, egg cell division
In the famous words of movie character Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.” The same principle applies to human genetics. When the body forms sperm or egg cells in a … Continue reading
Study uncovers the role of DNA repair in preserving egg quality
A study out of Australia has uncovered the role DNA repair plays in preserving egg quality, offering hope for women whose eggs may be damaged through treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy. The study found that when the cell death … Continue reading
Researchers uncover genetic mystery of infertility
Researchers have discovered a novel parasitic gene in fruit flies that is responsible for destroying the eggs in the ovaries of their daughters. Just like fruit flies, human genomes are filled with mobile parasitic genes called transposons and, similar to … Continue reading
Researchers find a potential new way to diagnose and treat male infertility
It can take a year or longer of trial and error for a doctor to determine if a man is infertile. But new research by Michael Skinner, a Washington State University reproductive biologist, could change that. Skinner and an international … Continue reading
Recurrent miscarriage linked to chromosomal abnormalities
When a couple loses a pregnancy, and especially when the same couple loses multiple pregnancies, doctors are often at a loss to explain why. For about 40 to 60 percent of couples with recurrent miscarriage (RM), the condition remains unexplained, … Continue reading
Sperm DNA damage may contribute to repeated miscarriages, study reports
Some cases of recurrent pregnancy loss may be caused by sperm DNA damage in the male partner, rather than by a problem in affected women, according to research presented at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in New Orleans … Continue reading
Scientists modify genes of embryos
A team of researchers in Portland, Oregon has carried out the first known attempt at genetically modifying human embryos in the United States. According to an article in the MIT Technology Review, researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University successfully … Continue reading
Gauging IVF success
Women undergoing in vitro fertilization in the U.S. have an average success rate of 20-35%. A new test, however, may help boost success rates to as much as 80%. The test, called MitoGrade, measures the levels of abnormal mitochondrial DNA … Continue reading
Preventing inherited diseases
For women and men who carry rare, inherited genetic disease, the decision to have children comes with a heavy burden: will they pass that disease on to their offspring? But research out of the Reproductive Genetics Institute in Chicago offers … Continue reading
Why does fertility drop as we age?
Researchers have a new theory about why a woman’s fertility declines after her mid-30s. They theorize that as women age, their egg cells become riddled with DNA damage and die off because their repair systems wear out. The scientists suggest … Continue reading
