Cambridge Reproduction SRI |

Single-cell technique could provide ‘egg health’ indicators

24 November 2020

Using the power of single-cell analysis, researchers at the Babraham Institute have assessed the effects of age on egg cells (oocytes) in mice, particularly looking to identify genomic and epigenetic factors that relate to reduced developmental competence. The knowledge uncovered by this research provides new insights into...

Fluorescent images of embryos at the morula and blastocyst stages

Placenta is initiated first, as cells of a fertilised egg divide and specialise

9 October 2020

The first stages of placental development take place days before the embryo starts to form in human pregnancies. This new finding highlights the importance of healthy placental development in pregnancy, and could lead to future improvements in fertility treatments such as IVF, and a better understanding of placental-...

An Evenings Invitation; with a Wink from the Bagnio (1773)

One in five Georgian Londoners had syphilis by the age of 35

18 September 2020

250 years ago, over one-fifth of Londoners had contracted syphilis by their 35th birthday, historians have calculated in a study that offers the first robust estimate of the amount of syphilis infection in London’s population in the later eighteenth century. The same study shows that Georgian Londoners were over twice as...

Antenatal mitochondrial therapy lowers the chance of cardiovascular problems in offspring

19 August 2020

Babies that experience low oxygen levels in the womb due to pregnancy complications often go on to develop heart disease in adulthood. A study using sheep has discovered that a specialised antioxidant called MitoQ can prevent heart disease at its very onset. The results are published today in the journal Science Advances...

Women who experience gestational hypertension are more likely to develop heart disease

23 July 2020

Women who experience high blood pressure during pregnancy are more likely to develop heart disease and heart failure in later life, according to an international team of researchers. Between 1-6% of all pregnancies in Western countries are affected by gestational hypertension, or pregnancy-induced hypertension. Clinicians...

New research explores gay mens' and lesbians' feelings about possible parenthood

23 July 2020

A new study by Reproduction SRI member Dr Robert Pralat sheds light on how younger gay men and lesbians see the possibility of becoming parents, and suggests that we can think of feelings about parenthood in terms of a 'reproductive orientation', analogous to a sexual orientation. Dr Pralat, a Leverhulme Early Career...

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"Reproduction matters to us all": Professor Kathy Niakan on why it’s vital to take a multidisciplined approach to understanding reproduction

Professor Wolf Reik receives an ERC Advanced Grant to study crucial developmental process

6 April 2020

New funding awarded to Professor Wolf Reik will support research into how the epigenetic landscape in early development impacts gastrulation, one of the earliest and most important processes in early development. This knowledge will inform strategies for regenerative medicine based on the use of stem cells, and improve our understanding of how developmental disorders arise in humans.

Reproduction: Antiquity to the Present Day

About us

This Strategic Research Initiative explores the urgent challenges posed by reproduction today.

We facilitate close engagement between the arts, humanities and social sciences, biology and medicine. By approaching reproduction collectively and across disciplines, we offer fresh perspectives on broad issues which range from global policies to those which affect individuals, families and populations.

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