Overview
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is used to treat over 2 million couples worldwide for infertility per year. The most commons form of IVF involves injecting a sperm into the egg which is effective when sperm contain high levels of protein called PLCzeta. However, the technique does not always work because human sperm are variable, and an embryologist cannot assess how much PLCzeta is in the before sperm they inject it. This project aims to establish a novel fluorescence assay of PLCzeta activity that works in individual sperm using standard microscopes. The projects will use fluorescence microscopy and microinjection to establish and test the reliability of this assay, in animals, using mouse or pig sperm injected into mouse eggs. The work will form the basis for preclinical trials with human sperm.
2014-2019 undergraduate Gannan Medical University
2020-2021 Master student University of Nottingham
Research
Research interests
I am interested in cell signalling and metabolism during animal fertilization and early embryo development.
Thesis
To develop a new method for measuring PLCZ1 activity
Funding source
China Scholarship Council
