Description

Worldwide, 10-15% of couples (or 70 million) face infertility: It is a major public health issue with significant medical, scientific, and economic challenges. Approximately 40% of cases of infertility involve a male factor, and while assisted reproductive technologies can be a solution in some cases, there is no therapeutic solution for males with a genetic cause that results in absence of sperm. With the emergence of nextgeneration sequencing, the identification of genes associated with male infertility is growing rapidly. In project SPERMBACK led by Jessica Escoffier and funded by the (Agence National de Recherche), we aim to develop novel lipid nanoparticles to restore male infertility via mRNA therapy. The aim of this PhD project is: 1. To engineer Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) by state-of-the-art techniques such as microfluidics and dual centrifugation. 2. To perform extensive characterization by dynamic light scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy 3. To evaluate LNP efficacies and tolerability in primary cultures of spermatogenic cells. 4. To investigate treatment efficacies ex vivo by quantitative microscopy, confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry.