Tag Archives: DNA
New podcast: Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Polygenic Disorders Called PGT-P
Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) includes several different types of tests done on embryos that have been created through IVF. These tests are done in the clinic, when the embryo is outside the mother’s body. In PGT, the embryo’s DNA is screened for certain … Continue reading
The genetic causes of female infertility
Many women are unable to conceive and deliver a healthy baby due to genetic factors. Sometimes this is due to an inherited chromosome abnormality. Other times it is because of a single-gene defect passed from parent to child. Genetic disorders and … Continue reading
Research offers insights into the reproductive process
The behavior of sperm cells is due, in part, to the individual DNA make-up of these cells, rather than only to the genetics of males, a new study has found. These results, which provide a new understanding of the competition … Continue reading
Study may help improve IVF success
In humans, a fertilized egg is no guarantee of reproductive success. Most embryos stop developing and perish within days of fertilization, usually because they have an abnormal number of chromosomes. Now, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and … Continue reading
Sperm are masters of DNA packing
During sperm production, an enormous amount of DNA has to be packed into a very small space without breaking anything. A central role is played by certain proteins around which the DNA thread is wrapped, called the protamines. A recent … Continue reading
Study: ‘Why is it so hard for humans to have a baby?’
New research by a scientist at the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, England, suggests that “selfish chromosomes” explain why most human embryos die very early on. The study, published in PLoS Biology, explaining why fish embryos are … Continue reading
Enzyme discovery may help treat male infertility
For the first time, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified an ADP-ribosyltransferase enzyme that is active in the mitochondria (the organelle that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power biochemical reactions in cells). ADP-ribosyltransferases … Continue reading
Breakthrough into the cause of male infertility
Scientists at Newcastle University, U.K., have identified a new genetic mechanism that can cause severe forms of male infertility. This breakthrough in understanding the underlying cause of male infertility offers hope of better treatment options for patients in the future. … Continue reading
New study ‘reassuring’ to fertility patients
A study looking into the effects on DNA in newborns conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) has added to the understanding that those children grow and develop no differently than other children. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice … Continue reading
Looking for mutated sperm? Go FISH
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are known to cause harsh side effects, including their impact on fertility. Extensive evidence shows that chemotherapy and radiation treatments are genotoxic, meaning they can mutate the DNA and damage chromosomes in patients’ cancerous and noncancerous … Continue reading
