Title: How do environmental contaminants affect the earliest stages of development
Timeframe: 2018-2021
Funder: University of Hull cluster
Contact: Dr Roger Sturmey, Vasiliki Papachristofi (PhD student) and Professor Jeannete Rotchell (University of Hull)
The purpose of this research is to determine whether a range of emerging environmental contaminants can cross the Fallopian tube and modify early development.
At Hull York Medical School, we have developed new model of the Fallopian tube (Simintiras et al 2016) and used this to examine how exposure to key dietary compounds that can disrupt the endocrine system or how exposure may change the physiology of the oviduct (Simintiras and Sturmey 2017).
We are now exploring how the environment of the oviduct responds to physiological exposure of environmental contaminants in ways that alter early embryo development.
Outputs
Simintiras CA, Sturmey RG 2017. Genistein crosses the bioartifical oviduct and alters secretion composition. Reproductive Toxicology 71 63-70. doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2017.04.010
Simintiras CA, Frohlich T, Sathyapalan T, Arnold GJ, UIlbrich SE, Leese HJ Sturmey RG. 2017. Modelling aspects of oviduct fluid formation in vitro. Reproduction 153 (1) 23-33. DOI: 10.1530/REP-15-0508
Title: The biochemistry of the early mammalian embryo
Timeframe: 2018-2022
Funder: University of Hull and Hull IVF Unit
Contact: Dr Roger Sturmey and Dr Christine Leary (Hull York Medical School Honorary Teaching Fellow and Hull IVF Unit)
To further our understanding of the metabolism and biochemistry of early embryos to uncover markers of embryo health.
The early embryo depletes and produces a range of metabolites as it undergoes the first days of development. We have previously show that the pattern of metabolite release and uptake tells us about metabolic strategy and links to ongoing embryo health. We remain hopeful that such studies will prove valid as a non-invasive marker embryo health with the potential for clinical translation.
Outputs
Leary C, Leese HJ, Sturmey RG. Human embryos from overweight women display morphokinetic and metabolic abnormalities. 2015 Human Reproduction doi 10.1093/humrep/deu276
Leese, H. J., Guerif, F. , Allgar, V. , Brison, D. R., Lundin, K. and Sturmey, R. G. (2016), Biological optimization, the Goldilocks principle, and how much is lagom in the preimplantation embryo. Mol. Reprod. Dev., 83: 748-754. doi:10.1002/mrd.22684
Guerif F, McKeegan PJ, Leese HJ & Sturmey RG. 2013A simple approach for consumption and release (CORE) analysis of metabolic activity in single mammalian embryos. PLoS One. 2013;8(8):e67834. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067834
Title: Embryo quality revisited: understanding and reversing the hidden impact of obesity
Timeframe: 2019-2021
Funder: European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Contact: Dr Roger Sturmey
Collaborators: Dr Adam Stevens and Professor Daniel Brison (University of Manchester) and Dr Christine Leary (Hull York Medical School Honorary Teaching Fellow and Hull IVF Unit).
Title: Novel aspects of mitochondrial biology in early embryos
Timeframe: 2016-2020
Funder: University of Hull PhD Scholarship
Contact: Dr Roger Sturmey and Bethany Muller
Outputs
Application of extracellular flux analysis for determining mitochondrial function in mammalian oocytes and early embryosBethany Muller, Niamh Lewis, Tope Adeniyi, Henry J Leese, Daniel Brison, Roger G Sturmey. bioRxiv 626333; doi: doi.org/10.1101/626333
Title: The effect of hyperglycaemia on early development
Timeframe: 2016-2020
Funder: University of Hull PhD Scholarship
Contact: Dr Roger Sturmey and Kalliopi Roussi
Outputs
Hamdi, M., Sánchez Calabuig, M. J., Rodríguez-Alonso, B., Bagés-Arnal, S., Roussi, K., Sturmey, R..s., Gutierrez-Adan, A., Lonergan, P., & Rizos, D. (2019). Gene expression and metabolic response of bovine oviduct epithelial cells to the early embryo, Reproduction, , REP-18-0561. Retrieved May 14, 2019. doi.org/10.1530/REP-18-0561