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The success of in vitro fertilization depends on many factors, one of which is sperm viability. A recent study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign documents a new way to select viable sperm and prolong their viability in the laboratory, reducing one source of variability during the process.

“The fallopian tube in women, or the oviduct, has an ability to lengthen sperm lifespan that, until now, we couldn’t recreate in IVF. In 2020, we discovered that complex sugars called glycans are the components of the oviduct that can bind and store sperm and keep them alive,” said senior study author David Miller, professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois.

Miller’s group collaborated with chemists to test hundreds of oviduct glycans for their ability to bind pig sperm, settling on one called sulfated Lewis X trisaccharide, or suLeX, for further testing. They focused on pig sperm not only as a proof of concept for future human studies, but also because animal agriculture relies on IVF, too. In pig IVF, multiple sperm often fertilize single eggs, resulting in inviable embryos. The hope with using glycans was that fewer free-swimming sperm would approach and fertilize eggs simultaneously.

The researchers attached suLeX to the bottom of culture dishes, then added sperm. The sperm were given 30 minutes to adhere to the compounds before the researchers began adding eggs, introducing them 0, 6, 12, or 24 hours later.

“By adding eggs at later time points, we could test the system to see whether suLeX increased the longevity of the sperm. Essentially, we found we can maintain or extend fertilization rates over time, increasing the window of successful IVF,” Miller said.

At 0 hours, IVF efficiency (fertilized zygotes vs. total number of eggs) was significantly greater with sperm that were initially attached to suLeX (at 53%) than a control with no oviduct compounds (36%) and two alternative “control” compounds (about 40% each).

The time delays decreased fertilization rates for all groups, but less so for suLeX. In the control group with no oviduct glycans, fertilization was down to 1% at the 24-hour time point. But with suLeX, 12% of the eggs were fertilized after 24 hours.

The IVF setup with suLeX droplets also allowed the researchers to wash away free-swimming sperm before introducing eggs.

“Because the sperm were bound securely to the glycan compound, we could reduce the overall number of sperm, which meant fewer cases where more than one sperm fertilized the eggs,” Miller said.

The foundational study could one day improve IVF success for both animals and humans.

“There are companies, especially related to dairy cattle, that use IVF to produce and sell high-genetic-merit embryos that, after they are delivered, will produce milk more efficiently,” Miller said. “This technology could potentially help produce meat and milk more efficiently.”

He added that the specific glycans that bind human sperm have not yet been identified, but once that happens, glycan-IVF could help with timing mismatches between egg maturity at harvest and sperm viability in humans.

“Both eggs and sperm have to undergo a maturation phase before they’re ready for fertilization, so the timing is critical. There’s variability in the time it takes sperm to complete their final major maturation step,” Miller said. “We think glycan-IVF could lengthen the fertile window of sperm and possibly increase IVF rates, though we need further testing to verify that.” 

Reference:

Soto-Heras, S., Volz, L.J., Bovin, N. et al. Porcine sperm bind to an oviduct glycan coupled to glass surfaces as a model of sperm interaction with the oviduct. Sci Rep 15, 4680 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88986-2

Hyderabad: The counselling for the posts of senior dental residents at the Government Dental College and Hospital, Afzalgunj has recently been deferred. Currently, the issue of counselling is being discussed with the Hyderabad Collector.

According to a circular issued by the principal of the Dental College, the counselling was postponed due to the transfer issues raised by the students. Reportedly, the students had pointed out the absence of any government dental college to opt for the zone 1 residents.

While Zone 1 includes the dental colleges across the districts in Telangana, Zone 2 is in Hyderabad.

Also Read: HC Resolves Principal Dispute at Govt Dental College Indore, Dr Alka Gupta Assumes Charge

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, recently, the senior dental residents wrote to the Director of Medical Education (Academic) and urged for the reconsideration of the eligibility of the senior residents. In the letter, they stated that the Zone one residents did not have a government dental college to opt as there is only one government dental college in the State and that is located in the city. 

Confirming that the counselling has been deferred, the National President of All India Dental Students and Surgeons Association, Dr. MD Manzur shared on social media, “The counseling for the selected Senior Resident posts has been canceled as of now. I just had a telephonic conversation with the Dean of Government Dental College, who informed me that the counseling has been stopped and the matter is currently under discussion with the Hyderabad Collector.”

Dr. Manzur told TOI, “The matter is under discussion with the principal of Govt Dental College. He has assured us that he will look into it thoroughly. The date for counselling will be announced soon.”

Also Read: Alleged Appointment Irregularities! Medical Education Dept seeks guidance from Dental College Principal in probe against herself