Researchers from The University of Osaka in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine have developed a new therapy for a severe form of male infertility called non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). Using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver specific mRNA into the testes of infertile mice, they were able to restart sperm production. The sperm produced were then used in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to successfully generate healthy and fertile offspring. The findings provide a crucial proof-of-concept for treating male infertility caused by genetic defects.

Researchers at The University of Osaka discovered that the protein TMEM217 is essential for sperm motility and male fertility. TMEM217 stabilizes a protein complex that produces the signaling molecule cAMP, which powers the sperm’s tail. Mice lacking TMEM217 have immotile sperm, but treating the sperm with a cAMP-like molecule restored motility and fertility via IVF. This finding opens doors for new diagnostics and therapies for male infertility.

Picky, pragmatic, and enigmatic — a tiny fossil found in Southwestern Virginia eluded classification for more than 514 million years. Now, Virginia Tech geoscientists have restored this unique organism into its evolutionary lineage.

Researchers have found a new way to produce human blood cells in the lab that mimics the process in natural embryos. Their discovery holds potential to simulate blood disorders like leukaemia, and to produce long-lasting blood stem cells for transplants.

In a few million years, the spider Dysdera tilosensis — a species endemic to the Canary Islands — has reduced the size of its genome by half during the process of colonization and adaptation to its natural habitat. In addition to being smaller, this genome is more compact and contains more genetic diversity than that of other similar continental spiders. The discovery, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, reveals for the first time how an animal species managed to reduce its genome by almost half during oceanic island colonization.