Assessment of biomarkers for the non-invasive diagnosis of male infertility

Infertility is a health issue that affects over half a million Canadian of childbearing age. Half of these cases are related to male reproductive dysfunctions. While semen analysis provides information about some causes of male infertility, about thirty percent of these cases remains unexplained. In this context, the main goal of our project is to assess the potential of target molecules, which are secreted from the internal organs of the male reproductive system into the seminal plasma, as biomarkers for the non-invasive diagnosis of infertility. This project is stemming from preliminary results published by our group and collaborators on a transgenic mouse model presenting with a male infertility phenotype. For instance, we showed that the expression of distinct secreted proteins as well as extracellular non-coding RNA originating from the epididymis are significantly impaired in this model.

Faculty Supervisor:

Clémence Belleannée

Student:

Olivia Jerczynski

Partner:

CReATe Program Inc

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program: