M72
ENEA Technology
DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF NEW SEMEN QUALITY BIOMARKERS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS
Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
3÷5
Innovations and Benefits
Standardized analyses of semen quality are used to diagnose cases of infertility and to assess the impact of environmental factors and lifestyle on reproductive health. However, these analyses are insufficient because they cannot explain many cases of idiopathic infertility and, recently, new determinants of sperm integrity have been discovered, also in relation to hereditary transmission of phenotypic changes.
Development of innovative methods to characterize semen quality, and in general, to evaluate the health status of the male reproductive system, based on analyses of DNA integrity by means of fluorescent analytical cytology techniques, and of epigenetic determinants in sperm and seminal fluid. In particular, measurement of DNA methylation level and concentration of RNA molecules with regulatory functions. Validation of novel methods in clinical settings and epidemiological studies, and their integration with standard analyses, to define multiparametric analytical panels with better diagnostic and predictive performances.
Use
- Biomonitoring of environmental effects on reproductive health.
- Integration of conventional semen quality analyses in clinical settings and livestock species.
Applications and ongoing Activities
Development of methods to determine RNA molecules in sperm and seminal fluid.
Measurement of sperm DNA global methylation level in human population studies aimed at evaluating the impact of persistent organic pollutants and perfluoroalkyl compounds on reproductive health (European Project CLEAR).
Analysis of sperm DNA integrity in patients treated with immunosoppressive therapies (in collaboration with Aarhus University, Denmark), or in human population cohorts exposed to anthropogenic environmental contaminants (in collaboration with Pretoria University, South Africa).
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