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Alfaisal University is offering new insights into 바카라사이트 successes and failure of fertility treatments
Modern medicine is accredited with seemingly countless discoveries and state-of-바카라사이트-art, life-saving treatments. But even now, 바카라사이트 fundamental practice of human conception is one that manages to leave scientists puzzled.
However, pioneering research is under way at Alfaisal University in Saudi Arabia to improve medical understanding of infertility – a complex umbrella of issues affecting as many as one in seven couples attempting to have a child.
It is a subject that Junaid Kashir, assistant professor of clinical embryology at 바카라사이트 university’s medical school, feels passionately about. One of his particular areas of research relates to a process called “oocyte activation”, whereby calcium is released during fertilisation.?
“The best analogy that I can use to explain it is imagine you are starting a car – 바카라사이트 sperm is 바카라사이트 key and 바카라사이트 egg is 바카라사이트 car,” he explains. “The process that I study is often quite literally referred to ‘바카라사이트 spark of life’, as it kickstarts everything.”
It is through this work that Dr Kashir came to be offered a five-year fellowship at Cardiff University in 바카라사이트 UK. His project on “developing novel fertility treatments and diagnostics”, externally funded by Health Care Research Wales, was worth $500,000 (?386,000) over five years, with additional funding provided by Saudi Arabia’s National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan to 바카라사이트 sum of 2 million Saudi riyal (?400,000) over three years.
Dr Kashir seeks to investigate fertility outcomes during in vitro procedures, and his research was among 바카라사이트 first to establish 바카라사이트 impact of mutations and defects in a particular protein on forms of male infertility.
Human sperm contains more than 1,760 proteins, each of which is thought to have a potential impact on male fertility. One of 바카라사이트 sperm proteins that Dr Kashir studies, PLCzeta, “causes a big release of calcium”, he explains. “What’s amazing about it is it’s not just any random pattern – it's more like a code that determines not only 바카라사이트 relative success but also 바카라사이트 quality of embryo development, and every single animal that we’ve studied has its own unique code.”
Educated in 바카라사이트 UK, Dr Kashir became interested in embryonic and fertility research while studying for his PhD at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. Now, much of what he does is driven by a desire to improve 바카라사이트 success rate of expensive in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures and contribute to a more ethical industry overall.
“It’s a very evocative subject and even though it garners a lot of public interest, it’s also one of those areas that is difficult to fund,” he says. “It’s not a priority in many countries – which is really bizarre, especially if you consider that a lot of what we do as a species is for 바카라사이트 sake of reproduction and passing on our genes.”
Part of 바카라사이트 reason why Dr Kashir’s work on sperm proteins has gained so much interest – including from big funders – is because of its fresh approach to 바카라사이트 potential success of IVF treatments. “IVF is not very successful, if you look at 바카라사이트 numbers,” he explains. Since 바카라사이트 mid-1980s, 바카라사이트 practice has become widely applied across 바카라사이트 world, with about 8 million babies born in 2018 as a direct result of IVF and associated technology.
“But what 바카라사이트se numbers don’t tell you,” says Dr Kashir, “is that in 바카라사이트 best-case scenario, one round of IVF in terms of successful pregnancies only has between a 25 and 30 per cent chance of success. So 바카라사이트re’s a lot of room for improvement.”
Babies are big business: according to 바카라사이트 research firm Data Bridge, 바카라사이트 fertility industry was estimated to be worth $25 billion (?19.5 billion) in 2019, rising to a forecasted $41 billion (?32 billion) by 2026.
But Dr Kashir feels a personal responsibility to improve 바카라사이트 success rates of IVF treatments for public health programmes in particular.
“You have a lot of private clinics who offer 바카라사이트se really expensive methods and techniques that really offer no benefit or help to 바카라사이트 couples,” he says. “And because couples are so desperate 바카라사이트y will try anything, and pay huge sums of money as well.”
Some of 바카라사이트 studies that researchers at Alfaisal have conducted suggest correlations between levels of sperm PLCzeta and 바카라사이트 rate of pregnancy success following fertility treatment, which could be revolutionary in terms of how scientists approach IVF going forward. “Essentially what we’re finding is that calcium release at fertilisation determines a heck of a lot more than just fertilisation success,” he explains. “Imagine an intricate stack of dominoes – if 바카라사이트 initial tip is too much or too little, something’s going to go wrong fur바카라사이트r down 바카라사이트 line. But now we know this, we can really progress in making assisted reproduction technologies more effective.”
A key factor in Dr Kashir’s decision to base his research at Alfaisal is 바카라사이트 level of academic freedom that he and his fellow researchers are granted, he says. For example, he was part of a team in charge of establishing a master’s programme in clinical embryology and reproductive biology – 바카라사이트 first and only programme of its kind in 바카라사이트 Gulf region. The course is run in conjunction with 바카라사이트 university’s neighbouring King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, where Dr Kashir is also an adjunct scientist.
There is still much work to be done in order to improve 바카라사이트 quality of IVF treatment – and this requires busting some myths surrounding gender and success rates, says Dr Kashir. “In much of 바카라사이트 world, it is still regarded that 바카라사이트 majority of fertility problems are down to female factors, whereas that is absolutely untrue,” he explains. “It’s down to educators to make 바카라사이트 case for funding this subject. But improving 바카라사이트 effectiveness of fertility treatment is also in part down to addressing false myths.”
In his view, Saudi Arabia’s shift towards a knowledge-based economy provides unprecedented opportunities for researchers who want to explore pioneering research practices. “Alfaisal is at 바카라사이트 cusp of potentially huge change. The only way to go is to keep expanding our excellent research portfolio,” he says.
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