Egg activation and cytoplasmic movements

Our aim is to examine the biological processes of fertilisation and early embryo development. Successful fertilisation requires that certain molecular processes occur correctly so that the egg can begin dividing and developing.

Sometimes sperm may fail to fertilise an egg, even with ICSI. We aim to understand some of the very basic reasons why this may happen and develop techniques to overcome this. We will also use high-frequency time lapse filming to observe the tiny movements that take place in an egg during the first few hours after activation. This technique may be used to predict which embryos will be healthier.

This is research using eggs and Embryos which have been donated to our study. It is important to note the eggs/embryos used are ONLY those that will not be used clinically and would otherwise be discarded.