Industrial PhD Program ex art. 10 DM 226/2021 “Intersectoral innovation: intersectoral PhD for innovation” of the University of Milan a.y. 2024/2025
Time-lapse monitoring as a tool for in vitro equine embryo assessment within the ovum pick-up-intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (OPU-ICSI-ET) program.
Equine in vitro embryo production (IVEP) has become increasingly popular in sport horse breeding in recent years.
Improvements in IVEP procedures led to high blastocyst rates and allowed effective solutions for protecting animal biodiversity and equine genetic heritage.
However, despite these advancements and the growing interest in equine IVEP, certain critical questions regarding equine gamete cellular processes and embryo development remain to be clarified or fully understood.
In human medicine, incubators equipped with time-lapse microscopy (TLM) and artificial intelligence (AI) have contributed to the discovery of new markers for high-quality embryos.
This is particularly useful for selecting a suitable embryo to transfer, which is more likely to result in pregnancy and healthy offspring.
Building on the impressive results in human medicine, we hypothesized that TLM and AI could be applied to select equine embryos with high implantation potential by designing a novel embryo selection algorithm for the equine species.
This study, included in the industrial PhD program headed by Avantea Srl and in collaboration with ReDBioLab, aims to investigate early embryonic morphokinetic events for the selection of high-quality embryos.
This will significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of equine ARTs.
Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology (L-2) at the University of Milan (UNIMI, Italy) (2019).
Master’s degree in Veterinary Biotechnology (LM-9) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan (UNIMI, Italy) (2021).
Currently executive PhD student at Avantea Srl, laboratory of advanced reproductive techniques for animal reproduction.
Since my undergraduate studies, I have developed a strong interest in reproductive biology and ARTs applied to livestock breeding and for the preservation of endangered species.
This passion led me to continue my career at Avantea Srl, where I am involved in equine in vitro reproduction services, and I carry out research aimed at improving the efficiency of the OPU-ICSI program. At the same time, the opportunity to pursue an industrial PhD program at Avantea, in partnership with ReDBioLab, represents a valuable chance to enhance my scientific knowledge and research skills, thanks also to a fruitful collaboration with the academic world.
Publications: Orcid
Supervisor: Prof. Alberto Maria Luciano
Co-supervisor: Prof. Federica Franciosi
Co-supervisor (Avantea): Dr. Silvia Colleoni
