Infertility issues can soon be solved: Experts on game-changing two-decade research

A protein that plays an important role during sperm-egg fusion has been identified and experts claim that it could be a one-stop solution for diagnosis and treatment of infertility. Named Maia, the Greek goddess of motherhood, it could be researched further for the development of better contraceptives. The study, published in journal Science Advances, has been conducted by an international team led by Kateina Komrsková from the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences TRENDING STORIES See All Premium Alia-Ranbir starrer Brahmastra releases, first day coll .

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. . The study notes that gamete fusion is a critical event of mammalian fertilization and further records that scientists spotted new Fc receptor-like protein 3 on the human egg that binds to a key sperm protein.

The interaction of the protein and adhesion leads to human sperm-egg fusion and the creation of life. “This is the result of nearly two decades of research and of extensive international collaboration the publication includes 17 different affiliations from around the world, including the UK, the US, and Japan,” Komrskova said in a statement. For the research, the team used the One-Bead One-Compound (OBOC) assay method while looking for mutations that cause tumours, during which interacting partners bind to special beads, and began looking for receptors on the surface of the egg cell, which are key factors in sperm interaction.

“We created hundreds of thousands of different beads, each with a segment of protein on its surface. We incubated these beads with human sperm and isolated those that interacted with each other. After a number of experiments, we were able to identify a candidate fusion protein,” Komrskova explained.

They also faced challenges like how to obtain ethical committee approval for the research first since the protein can only be found in humans. “We also developed special cell cultures that mimicked the egg. These cells were then capable of ‘producing’ proteins that are normally found on the surface of a human egg, which made it possible for us to conduct a range of experiments,” the lead researcher added.

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Premium Premium Finding new drugs from the deep sea via ‘eDNA’ They were able to spot microvilli on the surface of the human egg, covered by the signal that belonged to the protein they discovered. Scientists predict the research could lead to the improvement of infertility treatment methods. “Fertilisation is a crucial moment in human life, yet there is a lot we still do not know about it.

Such new findings that contribute to the understanding of physiological processes can find direct application in human medicine,” Komrskova concluded. Catch all the Business News , Market News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

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