OBJECTIVES 
SCIENTIFIC
Successful reproduction involves the sequential achievement of multiple milestones beginning at fertilization and leading to the delivery of healthy offspring. For this purpose, AFRODITA incorporates a multifaceted approach that analyses Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART)-derived effects, the interactions between ART and aging, and the development of new techniques to prevent/alleviate the undesirable consequences of ART on offspring health.
The overall goal unfolds in two specific research objectives:
- Identification of molecular mechanisms involved in ART-derived consequences on embryo and offspring health (WP 3).
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Development and implementation of new and innovative solutions for specific and undesired consequences and the aging-derived impact of ART (WP 4).
To study the undesirable consequences of ART on offspring health while at the same time uncoupling it from underlying subfertility, AFRODITA will make use of both human and animal models and will generate new data to answer questions related with these ART-derived specific problems:
- How does ART, in the absence of the in vivo environment, affect the molecular and chromosomal blueprint of gametes and embryos?
- How is reproductive aging reflected in the outcome of ART?
- Can we detect ART-induced changes in the long-term health of individuals born after ART?
- How can we improve ART to better mimic in vivo circumstances?
- Can ART prevent reproductive aging, or provide novel alternatives for infertility patients with no other treatment options?
