Infertility is a worldwide problem with medical, socio-economical as well as psychological aspects. According to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, medical intervention is sought for by 15% of couples who wish to conceive their biological offspring (www.eshre.eu).
\nThe Research Group of Reproductive Biology is mainly focused on the problems of female infertility and we investigate the biological processes in human ovary. Our main goal is to describe intercellular molecular interactions in the ovary and to find factors that would aid in discriminating between viable and non-viable oocytes. Various genome-wide high-throughput technologies are used in our research: next-generation sequencing, proteomics and data analysis methods in the field of systems biology to mention a few. We collaborate with all infertility clinics in Estonia in order to collect biological samples (ovarian granulosa cells, ovarian biopsies, follicular fluid, and blood samples) from fertile and infertile women.<\/p>\n
The research group of reproductive biology is mainly focused on investigating the molecular origins of female infertility and the possibilities for diagnostics in the field. Our research subjects can be divided into three categories:
\na. Research on human ovary and related etiologies of infertility.
\nb. The effect of environmental chemicals on ovarian function.
\nc. Development of methods for fertility preservation.<\/p>\n
We use modern gene expression and cell population characterization methods: next generation sequencing, single cell technologies, functional assays in cell-line and primary cell culture models, etc. The acquired data is analysed and modelled by bioinformatic algorithms.<\/p>\n
We can provide consulting services on the following topics:<\/strong> bioinformatics\u200b, infertility, \u200breproductive biology, sequencing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","tags":[1887,1500,1540,1606],"research_cat":[2057],"class_list":["post-5450","research","type-research","status-publish","hentry","tag-sequencing","tag-infertility","tag-bioinformatics","tag-reproductive-biology","research_cat-faculty-of-science"],"acf":{"research_manager":4371,"related_team":[4589,4728,4377,17719,17720]},"yoast_head":"\n
\n– gene expression projects from design to bioinformatic data analysis
\n– optimization of primary cell cultures
\nMethods we master and can offer:<\/strong>
\n– In vitro cultivation and manipulation of cell cultures
\n– RNA isolation from cells, tissues, body fluids, and exosomes
\n– RNA quality assessment (to rule out degradation)
\n– DNA fragment analysis
\n– Preparation of RNA-seq libraries from all of the above-mentioned biological source materials
\n– Arrangement of RNA sequencing in a core facility
\n– Analysis of RNA-seq results
\n– Real-time quantitative PCR for multiple analyses: detection of DNA mutations, measurement of relative RNA levels (including microRNAs)<\/p>\n