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Construction and Bioengineering of Human Bioprosthetic Ovaries from Cryopreserved Ovarian Tissue

Construction and Bioengineering of Human Bioprosthetic Ovaries from Cryopreserved Ovarian Tissue Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jun 10;26(12):5545 Authors: Cao M, Todorov P, Rahimi G, Salama M, Woodruff TK, Isachenko E, Skala C, Isachenko V Abstract: Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is increasingly recognized as an effective fertility preservation option for cancer patients undergoing gonadotoxic therapies. After cancer treatment, transplantation of frozen-thawed…

Inorganic profiles of preimplantation embryos reveal a role for zinc in blastocyst development

Inorganic profiles of preimplantation embryos reveal a role for zinc in blastocyst development bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 May 18:2025.05.14.654061 Authors: Balough JL, O'Halloran TV, Duncan FE, Woodruff TK Abstract: Elements such as iron, copper and zinc play essential roles in the mammalian oocyte, egg, and embryo, however among these metals, zinc plays unique regulatory roles. Temporal fluctuations in zinc concentrations drive…

Use of Promotional Language in Grant Applications and Grant Success

Use of Promotional Language in Grant Applications and Grant Success JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Dec 2;7(12):e2448696 Authors: Qiu HS, Peng H, Fosse HB, Woodruff TK, Uzzi B Abstract: Importance: Scientific writing is critical for successfully showing the merits of innovative ideas to funding agencies, colleagues, and practitioners, and it has evolved over time, particularly in the increased use of promotional words. Objectives: To…

Follicle-intrinsic and spatially distinct molecular programs drive follicle rupture and luteinization during ex vivo mammalian ovulation

Follicle-intrinsic and spatially distinct molecular programs drive follicle rupture and luteinization during ex vivo mammalian ovulation Commun Biol. 2024 Oct 23;7(1):1374 Authors: Zaniker EJ, Zhang J, Russo D, Huang R, Suritis K, Drake RS, Barlow-Smith E, Shalek AK, Woodruff TK, Xiao S, Goods BA, Duncan FE Abstract: During ovulation, the apical wall of the preovulatory follicle breaks down to facilitate…

Investigation of Fertility Preservation Education Videos for Pediatric Patients Based on International and Historical Survey

Investigation of Fertility Preservation Education Videos for Pediatric Patients Based on International and Historical Survey J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2023 Dec;12(6):835-842 Authors: Iwahata Y, Takae S, Iwahata H, Matsumoto K, Hirayama M, Takita J, Manabe A, Cho Y, Ikeda T, Maezawa T, Miyachi M, Keino D, Koizumi T, Mori T, Shimizu N, Woodruff TK, Suzuki N Abstract: Purpose: Recently, direct…

National oncofertility registries around the globe: a pilot survey

National oncofertility registries around the globe: a pilot survey Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 May 8;14:1148314 Authors: Ozimek N, Salama M, Woodruff TK Abstract: Purpose: Oncofertility is an emerging discipline which aims to preserve fertility of young cancer patients. As fertility preservation services have become increasingly available to cancer patients in many countries around the globe, it is crucial to establish a…

An ex vivo ovulation system enables the discovery of novel ovulatory pathways and nonhormonal contraceptive candidates†

An ex vivo ovulation system enables the discovery of novel ovulatory pathways and nonhormonal contraceptive candidates† Biol Reprod. 2023 Apr 11;108(4):629-644 Authors: Zhang J, Goods BA, Pattarawat P, Wang Y, Haining T, Zhang Q, Shalek AK, Duncan FE, Woodruff TK, Xiao S Abstract: Ovulation is an integral part of women's menstrual cycle and fertility. Understanding the mechanisms of ovulation has…

Thyroid hormone triiodothyronine does not protect ovarian reserve from DNA damage induced by X-ray and cisplatin

Thyroid hormone triiodothyronine does not protect ovarian reserve from DNA damage induced by X-ray and cisplatin J Assist Reprod Genet. 2023 Mar;40(3):481-490 Authors: Iwahata H, Kim SY, Iwahata Y, Suzuki N, Woodruff TK Abstract: Purpose: Cancer therapy can induce premature ovarian insufficiency, necessitating methods for preserving fertility in female cancer patients. However, the only accepted clinical practice for doing so is…

Pediatric oncofertility care in limited versus optimum resource settings: results from 39 surveyed centers in Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II

Pediatric oncofertility care in limited versus optimum resource settings: results from 39 surveyed centers in Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II J Assist Reprod Genet. 2023 Mar;40(3):443-454 Authors: Salama M, Nahata L, Jayasinghe Y, Gomez-Lobo V, Laronda MM, Moravek MB, Meacham LR, Christianson MS, Lambertini M, Anazodo A, Quinn GP, Woodruff TK Abstract: Purpose: As a secondary report to elucidate the…

Zinc dynamics regulate early ovarian follicle development

Zinc dynamics regulate early ovarian follicle development J Biol Chem. 2023 Jan;299(1):102731 Authors: Chen YY, Chen S, Ok K, Duncan FE, O'Halloran TV, Woodruff TK Abstract: Zinc fluctuations regulate key steps in late oocyte and preimplantation embryo development; however, roles for zinc in preceding stages in early ovarian follicle development, when cooperative interactions exist between the oocyte and somatic cells,…

Follicle isolation methods reveal plasticity of granulosa cell steroidogenic capacity during mouse in vitro follicle growth

Follicle isolation methods reveal plasticity of granulosa cell steroidogenic capacity during mouse in vitro follicle growth Mol Hum Reprod. 2022 Sep 29;28(10):gaac033 Authors: Babayev E, Xu M, Shea LD, Woodruff TK, Duncan FE Abstract: Follicles are the functional unit of the ovary and several methods have been developed to grow follicles ex vivo, which recapitulate key events of oogenesis and…

Broadening the educational pipeline: the global landscape of master of science programs in reproductive science and medicine

Broadening the educational pipeline: the global landscape of master of science programs in reproductive science and medicine Biol Reprod. 2022 Sep 12;107(3):664-675 Authors: Ataman-Millhouse LM, Monahan P, Willingham R, Vigone G, Soulakis M, Gadea J, Jiménez-Movilla M, Romar R, Cánovas S, Woodruff TK, Duncan FE Abstract: Reproductive health underpins overall health, and thus, research in reproductive science and medicine is…

Gender-diverse teams produce more novel and higher-impact scientific ideas

Gender-diverse teams produce more novel and higher-impact scientific ideas Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Sep 6;119(36):e2200841119 Authors: Yang Y, Tian TY, Woodruff TK, Jones BF, Uzzi B Abstract: Science's changing demographics raise new questions about research team diversity and research outcomes. We study mixed-gender research teams, examining 6.6 million papers published across the medical sciences since 2000…

Dynamic zinc fluxes regulate meiotic progression in Caenorhabditis elegans†

Dynamic zinc fluxes regulate meiotic progression in Caenorhabditis elegans† Biol Reprod. 2022 Aug 9;107(2):406-418 Author: Mendoza AD, Sue A, Antipova O, Vogt S, Woodruff TK, Wignall SM, O'Halloran TV Abstract: Zinc influx and efflux events are essential for meiotic progression in oocytes of several mammalian and amphibian species, but it is less clear whether this evolutionary conservation of zinc signals…

A synopsis of global frontiers in fertility preservation

A synopsis of global frontiers in fertility preservation J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022 Aug;39(8):1693-1712 Authors: Ataman LM, Laronda MM, Gowett M, Trotter K, Anvari H, Fei F, Ingram A, Minette M, Suebthawinkul C, Taghvaei Z, Torres-Vélez M, Velez K, Adiga SK, Anazodo A, Appiah L, Bourlon MT, Daniels N, Dolmans MM, Finlayson C, Gilchrist RB, Gomez-Lobo V, Greenblatt…

An Ovarian Steroid Metabolomic Pathway Analysis in Basal and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)-like Gonadotropin Conditions Reveals a Hyperandrogenic Phenotype Measured by Mass Spectrometry

An Ovarian Steroid Metabolomic Pathway Analysis in Basal and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)-like Gonadotropin Conditions Reveals a Hyperandrogenic Phenotype Measured by Mass Spectrometry Biomedicines. 2022 Jul 8;10(7):1646 Authors: Gargus ES, Bae Y, Chen J, Moss KJ, Ingram AN, Zhang J, Montgomery NT, Boots CE, Funk WE, Woodruff TK Abstract: Prior work has demonstrated that murine ovarian explants and isolated ovarian…

Single-cell transcriptomics of staged oocytes and somatic cells reveal novel regulators of follicle activation

Single-cell transcriptomics of staged oocytes and somatic cells reveal novel regulators of follicle activation Reproduction. 2022 Jul 7;164(2):55-70 Authors: Chen YY, Russo DD, Drake RS, Duncan FE, Shalek AK, Goods BA, Woodruff TK Abstract: In brief: Proper development of ovarian follicles, comprised of an oocyte and surrounding somatic cells, is essential to support female fertility and endocrine health. Here, we describe…

Zinc transporters ZIPT-2.4 and ZIPT-15 are required for normal C. elegans fecundity

Zinc transporters ZIPT-2.4 and ZIPT-15 are required for normal C. elegans fecundity J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022 Jun;39(6):1261-1276 Authors: Sue AC, Wignall SM, Woodruff TK, O'Halloran TV Abstract: Purpose: The requirement of zinc for the development and maturation of germ lines and reproductive systems is deeply conserved across evolution. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans offers a tractable platform to study the complex…

Installing oncofertility programs for breast cancer in limited versus optimum resource settings: Empirical data from 39 surveyed centers in Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II

Installing oncofertility programs for breast cancer in limited versus optimum resource settings: Empirical data from 39 surveyed centers in Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II J Assist Reprod Genet. 2022 Feb;39(2):505-516 Authors: Salama M, Lambertini M, Christianson MS, Jayasinghe Y, Anazodo A, De Vos M, Amant F, Stern C, Appiah L, Woodard TL, Anderson RA, Westphal LM, Leach…

Closing the loop on female fertility

Closing the loop on female fertility Sci Adv. 2021 Dec 17;7(51):eabn1373 Author: Woodruff TK Abstract: Discovery of a previously unidentified pituitary protein could provide innovative therapeutic options to regulate female fertility. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn1373. Epub 2021 Dec 15. PMID: 34910506; PMCID: PMC11323799.

A platform utilizing Drosophila ovulation for nonhormonal contraceptive screening

A platform utilizing Drosophila ovulation for nonhormonal contraceptive screening Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Jul 13;118(28):e2026403118 Authors: Jiang K, Zhang J, Huang Y, Wang Y, Xiao S, Hadden MK, Woodruff TK, Sun J Abstract: A significant unmet need for new contraceptive options for both women and men remains due to side-effect profiles, medical concerns, and the inconvenience of many…

Metal ion fluxes controlling amphibian fertilization

Metal ion fluxes controlling amphibian fertilization Nat Chem. 2021 Jul;13(7):683-691 Authors: Seeler JF, Sharma A, Zaluzec NJ, Bleher R, Lai B, Schultz EG, Hoffman BM, LaBonne C, Woodruff TK, O'Halloran TV Abstract: Mammalian oocytes undergo major changes in zinc content and localization to be fertilized, the most striking being the rapid exocytosis of over 10 billion zinc ions in what…

Dental resins used in 3D printing technologies release ovo-toxic leachates

Dental resins used in 3D printing technologies release ovo-toxic leachates Chemosphere. 2021 May;270:129003 Authors: Rogers HB, Zhou LT, Kusuhara A, Zaniker E, Shafaie S, Owen BC, Duncan FE, Woodruff TK Abstract: We recently engineered the first female reproductive tract on a chip (EVATAR), to enable sex-based ex vivo research. To increase the scalability and accessibility of EVATAR, we turned to…