Although intracytoplasmic sperm injection—in which a single sperm is placed inside a mature egg—increases the chances of a successful pregnancy, it also carries a risk of genetic abnormalities in children. Now two Yale scientists have devised a method for selecting genetically healthy sperm to lower those odds. Gabor B. Huszar, M.D., HS ’76, and Attila Jakab, M.D., found that healthy sperm develop a receptor that recognizes an acid in the female reproductive tract; they then devised a method of using the acid to identify the most robust candidates. Huszar and Jakab presented their work at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s June meeting in Vienna.

Illustration by Bob Hambly
People
Gabor Huszar, MD
Senior Research Scientist in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
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