Young women diagnosed with cancer face yet another challenge: infertility. Experiemental cryoresearch could restore their chance at motherhood. In September's issue of Discover Magazine, Katherine Kornei discusses this challenge. "A lot of the work we were doing in our lab could turn around this disparity," Dr. Teresa K. Woodruff says.
Stupid Cancer, a nonprofit organization for young adults battling cancer, visited Northwestern on their Stupid Cancer Road Trip. They connected with Kristin Smith, the Fertility Preservation Patient Navigator, and investigated the “magic” made in the Oncofertility Consortium.
In this article from New Scientist, Andy Coghlan discusses how a synthetic ovary could help both older women and those with endometriosis conceive.
In this article from Northwestern Medicine News Center, Kristin Samuelson discusses the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Fracis Collins and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)'s recent visit to Northwestern.
In this article from ChicagoInno, Karis Hustad discusses how researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine recently announced their use of 3D printing to create a prosthetic ovary, and successfully transplanted the organ into mice.
In this article from Daily News, Jessica Hamzelou discusses a breakthrough for cheaper, faster, drug-free IVF. "This is certainly exciting" says Teresa Woodruff at Northwestern University in Illinois. "Cumulin may be an important missing link in IVF medium used in the lab."
This article from Healio-HemOnc Today features an interview with Dr. Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, about the oncologist's role in discussing fertility preservation with their patients, as well as how clinicians can address concerns such as cost of care.
At the moment of conception, eggs of several mammals send out a pulse of metallic ions as they undergo cellular change.
As a graduate of the Northwestern Graduate School, Dr. Monica Laronda is highlighted in a Spotlight story on the school's website.
There’s a grain of truth to descriptions of ‘fireworks’ in the bedroom – after scientists captured the ‘flash’ of human life beginning for the first time.
Sparks really do fly when the magic happens. At the exact moment a sperm penetrates an egg, the latter releases billions of zinc atoms from its surface which spark off.
When an egg is fertilized, the rapid release of zinc creates a spark
So often in romantic comedies, we see two straight people fall in love and consummate their relationship with heterosexual intercourse. What we rarely see represented, though, are the sparks that fly after sex: literally! In the woman's fallopian tube, between her egg and the dude's sperm.
Human life begins in bright flash of light as a sperm meets an egg, scientists have shown for the first time, after capturing the astonishing ‘fireworks’ on film.
This is the first time zinc sparks have been captured in a human egg
This is the first time the phenomenon has been observed by scientists.
"We discovered the zinc spark just five years ago in the mouse, and to see the zinc radiate out in a burst from each human egg was breathtaking," said researcher Teresa Woodruff.
People who say they have experienced "fireworks" in the bedroom may not be completely exaggerating. Scientists have tracked the moment of conception and have captured "radiant zinc fireworks" when sperm meets egg.
For the first time, researchers have witnessed the exact moment conception occurs— and have recorded the ensuing explosion of sparks that form when sperm meets an egg. The Telegraph reported that scientists had previously captured the moment in animals, but this is the first time it’s been recorded in humans.
Scientific Reports released a publication in 2016 by Francesca Duncan, PhD, Emily L. Que, PhD, Nan Zhang, PhD, Eve C. Feinberg, MD, Thomas V. O’Halloran, PhD, and Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, entitled “The zinc spark is an inorganic signature of human egg activation.” The article describes the prominent “zinc spark,” that occurs the moment the sperm…
The fertilization-induced zinc spark is a novel biomarker of mouse embryo quality and early development.
During football and basketball games, BTN LiveBIG will spotlight notable examples of research, innovation and community service from around the conference. The work of Dr. Woodruff and the Oncofertility Consortium is featured in one of these spots.