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London: Here’s some
good news for infertile couples worldwide — scientists
claim to have discovered a new gene which could enable
sperm to bind to a female egg, a process essential to
fertilization.
A team at Durham University says the gene, which
makes protein PDILT, is a major breakthrough that could
help improve the effectiveness and even reduce the cost
of in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
In their research on mice, the scientists found that
when the gene was ‘switched off ’ in male mice, less
than three per cent of the females’s eggs were
fertilized compared to more than 80% in mice when the
gene was left switched on.
It is the first time that a gene of this type has
been linked to fertility, the Daily Express reported.
Adam Benham, who led the team, said, “The protein is
an essential part of the navigation system of sperm. It
helps sperm swim through the oviduct to the egg and
without it sperm get stuck. Our results show that
navigating the oviduct is an important part of
fertilization.
“Like any navigation system, you have to programme
where it is that you want to go and this protein plays
an essential role in getting sperm to the right
destination, in good shape, and in good time.”
Though the research is in its early stages, the
scientists are hoping that it will effect human
sperm-to-egg binding and offer hope to couples hoping to
conceive. |
