Aussie scientists make fertility breakthrough

22 Sep 2012, 5:45 pm   -   Source: AAP
(Getty)

(Getty)

Melbourne researchers have made a discovery that could help prevent early menopause and protect the fertility of women undergoing cancer treatment.

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An Australian medical discovery could lead to treatments to protect and even extend fertility in women, scientists say.

"The implications for women's health are very significant," said Professor Jock Findlay, who announced the breakthrough in egg cell research on Saturday.

"It offers a way to protect the fertility of women who are having cancer treatment, and then also offers a way to prevent premature menopause," said Prof Findlay, head of reproductive biology at Prince Henry's Institute in Melbourne.

A team of Melbourne scientists from three research facilities has spent the last five years studying how proteins can cause damaged egg cells to die off in the ovaries.

Their findings, published in the Molecular Cell journal, show for the first time how blocking two of these key proteins, called PUMA and NOXA, allows egg cells to repair DNA damage and then go on to produce normal, healthy offspring.

"That's very exciting because it's never been known before whether these specialised egg cells could repair their DNA," said Dr Clare Scott, head of the research laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Dr Scott said the discovery could one day help women undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, which severely damages egg cells and triggers these two proteins to kill off damaged cells, leading to infertility.

Current fertility treatments for cancer patients, such as hormone injections or egg harvesting, were not sufficiently effective, she said.

The discovery could also have implications for early menopause sufferers if a pill that mimicked protein blocking could be taken, slowing down the loss of egg cells.

Professor Andreas Strasser, from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, said, however, these were early findings and the development of a treatment could take a decade or more.

"Turning a basic research discovery into something that we can actually use will always take at least 10 years," he said.

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