Research Currently Funded

2023 Discovery and Innovation Cycle Recipient

  • Marina Peluffo, PhD (Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas), Chemokine signaling within the human cumulus oocyte complex: a critical mediator of fertility  

2023 Pilot and Exploratory Cycle Recipients

  • Bluma Lesch, MD, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, Natural variation in epigenetic poising in sperm of men undergoing assisted reproduction"

  • Alisha Tolani, MD, University of California, San Francisco, The PIoUS Study: Sperm Preparation prior to IntraUterine insemination
    (Supported by an Educational Grant provided by EMD Serono)

  • Patricia Hershberger, PhD, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, FAAN, University of Michigan, A Developmental Study to Extend the Donor Conception Tool to Empower ParentaL TeLling (TELL) and Talking for Use During Pregnancy
    (Supported by an Educational Grant provided by EMD Serono)
     
  • Audrey J. Gaskins, ScD, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Microplastics and Male Fertility
    (Supported by Legacy, Inc)

  • Lisa Vrooman, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University – Oregon National Primate Research Center, Placental PREP Function in Spontaneous and Assisted Reproductive Technology Pregnancies"
    (Supported by The Maya's Wings Foundation)

  • Winifred Mak MD, PhD, UT Health Sciences at San Antonio, A study to elucidate the role of abnormal sperm DNA fragmentation in human recurrent pregnancy loss"
    (Supported by the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Association)

  • Courtney Marsh MD, MPH, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Attitudes Towards Sperm Donation in Black Cisgender Men"
    (ASRM Access to Care Grant)

  • Xavier Santamaria, MD, PhD, The Carlos Simon Foundation, “Effect of CD133 Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells on the maternal-fetal interface in patients with Asherman Syndrome"
    (Supported by the KY Cha Award)

2022 Discovery and Innovation Cycle Recipient

  • Jun Wu, PhD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Studying molecular mechanisms underlying human implantation and implantation failure using a pluripotent stem cell blastocyst model  

2022 Pilot and Exploratory Cycle Recipients

  • Karen Schindler, PhD, Rutgers University, Determining Sirtuin 7 mechanisms that protect age-related genome stability in oocytes

  • Jamie Lo, MD, MCR, Oregon Health and Science University, Identifying Epigenetic Changes in Spermatozoa of Sexually Mature Rhesus Macaques Following Chronic Marijuana Use  

  • Joshua Halpern, MD, MS, Northwestern University, A Pilot, Randomized Clinical Trial of Universal Home Semen Analysis Screening for the Evaluation of Male Infertility

  • Tsegaselassie Workalemahu PhD, MSc, University of Utah, Inherited Genetic Variants and Unexplained Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
    (Supported by the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Association)  

  • Rachel West, PhD, Auburn University, Using a 3D human trophoblast stem cell model to investigate the sexual dimorphism of the placental innate immune response
    (Supported by an endowment from the Asia-Pacific Biomedical Research Foundation)  

  • Brent Monseur, MD, ScM, Stanford University, Drivers of assisted reproductive technology use and associated reproductive and mental health outcomes in women by sexual orientation - results from national longitudinal cohorts
    (Supported by an Educational Grant provided by EMD Serono)  

  • Zachary Walker, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Evaluation of sperm centriole distribution and composition on fertility outcomes in men with and without male factor infertility – a prospective study
    (Supported by an Educational Grant provided by EMD Serono)

  • Kathryn Coyne, MD., University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University, Altered endometrial cell progesterone responsiveness in the etiology of endometriosis and infertility   
    (Supported by an Educational Grant provided by Ferring)

  • Riwa Sabbagh, MD., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Boston IVF, Concurrent in situ characterization of chromosome and gene expression to create a three-dimensional map of discarded human blastocysts (Supported by an Educational Grant provided by Ferring)

2020 Small Grant Recipients

  • Ahmed Balboula, Ph.D., University of Missouri, Determining if Reduced Autophagic Activity is Responsible for DNA Damage-induced Aneuploidy in Aged Oocytes   

  • Karen Berkowitz, M.D., University of Iowa, CHTF18 Regulates Meiotic Cohesion and DNA Crossover formation to Safeguard the Quality of the Ovarian Reserve   

  • Tracy Harrison, M.D., University of California San Diego, Effects of Androgen on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Transgender Men   

  • Winifred Mak, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas Austin, Establishment and Characterization of Miscarriage-specific Human Trophoblast Stem Cells   

  • Rachel Mejia, D.O., University of Iowa, Randomized Controlled Trial of Combined Letrozole and Clomiphene (CLC II) Versus Letrozole Alone for Women with Anovulation   

  • Reshef Tal, M.D., Ph.D., Yale University School of Medicine, The Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Recurrent Implantation Failure


2019 Large Grant Recipients

  • Heidi Cook-Andersen, MD, PhD/Louise Laurent, MD, PhD (co-PI’s), University of California, San Diego; "Defining the molecular basis of successful implantation and pregnancy of the human embryo to improve IVF success"
     
  • Werner Neuhausser, MD, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; "Identification of transcriptomic and epigenetic coordinates for post-implantation human embryonic development"
     
  • Gary D. Smith, PhD, HCLD, University of Michigan; "Human Embryo Mosaicism: Towards Understanding Longitudinal and Developmental Genetic Concordance Between Embryonic Trophectoderm, Inner Cell Mass, and Stem Cells"


2019 Small Grant Recipients

  • Rachel Weinerman, M.D., Case Western Reserve University, Impact of repeated blastocyst vitrification and trophectoderm biopsy on embryonic gene expression and embryonic development in a mouse model
     
  • Eve Feinberg, M.D., Northwestern University, Characterizing Fertility Concerns among Women in Academic Medicine and Evaluating the Economic Impact of Fertility Preservation for Deferred Reproduction
     
  • Lynae M. Brayboy, M.D., Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Dysfunctional MDR-1 disrupts mitochondrial homeostasis in the oocyte and ovary
     
  • Joseph Letourneau, M.D., University of Utah, "Effect of Alkylating Agent Chemotherapy on the Uterus of Young Adult Cancer Survivors: Exploring the Uterus as a New Frontier for Fertility Preservation"
     
  • Amanda Kallen, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine, Noncoding-RNA-Mediated Mechanisms for Regulation of Follicular Quantity and Quality