(May 22) A breakthrough in the studies on genetic forms of infertility comes from Italy. The study, published in the “Journal of Clinical Investigation,” was coordinated by Anna Cariboni from the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Milan, and Christiana Ruhrberg from University College London. The research shows how an inherited form of infertility may arise due to a genetic alteration that hinders the survival of key neurons in the control of puberty. The research, published in the prestigious American magazine, involved several young national and international researchers including Dr. Valentina André (University of Milan), Alex Fantin (UCL), Sophie Chauvet (Aix Marseille Université), Alessia Caramel (UCL) and Daniele Cassatella (CHUV, Lausanne). Professors Cariboni and Ruhrberg stressed that “this molecule is essential for the proper formation of neural connections in the developing brain, and is equally important for the survival of neurons for the production of the GnRH and sexual hormones that determine the start of puberty. This study opens up significant possibilities for early diagnosis of many genetic forms of infertility.”
