Advanced assisted reproductive technologies in biodiversity conservation programs and animal breeding.
Animal biodiversity loss threatens the long-term existence of several species, and both local and wild mammalian species have been predicted to face extinction. Ex-situ breeding programs aim to conserve the population of animals outside their natural environment, thereby making Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) and their improvement crucial for preserving endangered species. Female germplasm preservation is particularly challenging due to the inherent complexity of folliculogenesis and the limitations of current in vitro culture protocols targeting preantral follicles, which comprise the most abundant quota of the ovarian reserve.
The objective of the present project is to maximize the exploitation of bovine female gametes that can be submitted to ARTs by filling in the missing information on the key regulatory pathways that guide the transition between the pre-antral secondary (SF) and the early antral follicle (EAF) stages, allowing for their subsequent submission to in vitro embryo production. For this purpose, we intend to study the individual transcriptome profiles of isolated SF and EAF to gather crucial information on the processes regulating this critical transition. This information repertoire will be combined with sequencing data from several laboratories worldwide to analyze the bovine transcriptome during folliculogenesis. Identifying specific survival, growth, and differentiation of SFs, key players will provide valuable tools to define a tailored culture system to allow the transition to the EAF stage entirely in vitro.
Our findings will shed more light on the molecular mechanisms orchestrating mammalian folliculogenesis and provide tools to improve the effectiveness of the in vitro folliculogenesis protocols. Finally, using the bovine as an experimental model can be beneficial to fertility preservation programs in women.
BSc in Animal Breeding and Welfare at the University of Milan (UNIMI).
MSc in Animal Science and Technology at the University of Milan (UNIMI).
Master thesis entitled “Bovine preantral follicle culture for fertility and biodiversity preservation: a quantitative study”.
UOFAA (Unione Operatori di F.A. animale) certified operator for Artificial Insemination of the bovine/buffalo species.
During both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees traineeships, I depth my knowledge in animal reproductive biology (RedBioLab), Dept of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (DIVAS), University of Milan, Italy), focusing on the influence of age on bovine ovarian reserve and reproductive potential.
During the last few years, I became passionate about applying ARTs to ameliorate genetic traits within the herd and in female fertility preservation interventions, particularly for local cattle breeds, representing a vast reservoir of genetic resources.
Publications: Orcid
Supervisor Prof. Alberto Maria Luciano
Co-supervisor Prof. Valentina Lodde
