Resource Category: Female Reproduction
Development of a new non-hormonal contraceptive targeting the AMH/AMHR2 axis in females.
Speaker: Dr. David Pépin, Harvard Medical School
Title: Development of a new non-hormonal contraceptive targeting the AMH/AMHR2 axis in females.
Description: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a paracrine factor produced by growing follicles that mediates negative feedback on the activation and growth of new pre-antral follicles. Sustained supraphysiological AMH can suppress follicular development and induce contraception. Herein we will present findings on the mechanism of action of AMH in follicles, the development of new contraceptive modalities including gene therapy with AMH and small molecule agonists of the AMH receptor (AMHR2), and their evaluation in several animal models from mice to cats.
Placental strategies supporting fetal growth during normal and suboptimal gestational environments
The placenta is essential for mammalian development and a key determinant of life-long offspring health. It is responsible for transporting all the nutrients and oxygen a fetus needs to develop and grow and secretes hormones that adapt maternal physiology to support the pregnancy. However, the placenta is not a static organ. In this talk I will present our work undertaken in experimental models showing that placental formation and function adapts developmentally to the needs of the growing fetus during normal gestation, as well as in response to suboptimal gestational environments, namely obesity and hypoxia. Impairments in placental formation and function have consequences for fetal growth and birthweight, which in turn, dictate perinatal survival and risk of non-communicable diseases in later postnatal life. Thus, identifying how the placenta responds and adapts to developmental and environmental cues may be informative for the design of strategies to optimise pregnancy and long-term health outcomes.
Mom’s sleep matters! Impact of sleep apnea during pregnancy on offspring brain function
Kisspeptin neurons and the circuits that control ovulation
In females, the mid-cycle surge in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion triggers ovulation. This neuroendocrine process is mediated by a population of neurons in the preoptic area that produce the neuropeptide kisspeptin and drive the activity of GnRH neurons for the surge. In female rodents, and possibly in other species, the preovulatory surge is timed to precede the onset of activity to ensure that ovulation coincides with sexual behavior. In this presentation, I will focus on the regulation of preoptic area kisspeptin neuron activity by the central circadian clock.