Discovery could aid future treatment of female infertility

NZ discovery could aid future treatment of female infertility

Otago researchers have identified a surprising new pathway within the brain’s network of neurons that could provide insights into the leading cause of female infertility in New Zealand and the world: polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Dr Rebecca Campbell from the University of Otago, Dunedin, has just received a project grant worth more than $900,000 from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) to carry out a series of studies to characterise the role of this new neuronal pathway in the regulation of fertility.

Dr Campbell is one of 33 researchers to receive a combined total of more than $34.5 million in project funding in the HRC’s 2015 funding round.

The neuroendocrine control of fertility depends on a small population of brain cells known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. Dr Campbell says a recent study in her team’s laboratory has revealed a completely unexpected brain pathway within the GnRH neuronal network that might underpin the neuroendocrine abnormalities of PCOS.

“Understanding this circuit will advance our understanding of the central regulation of fertility and generate novel insights into the aetiology of PCOS, the most common endocrine disorder seen in the clinic,” says Dr Campbell.

Nearly one in 10 New Zealand women have PCOS, and it’s estimated to affect more than 100 million women worldwide. It’s often associated with irregular periods, increased hair growth or acne or raised levels of male hormones, and polycystic ovaries.

HRC Chief Executive Professor Kathryn McPherson says reproductive health is an important global health issue.

“According to the World Health Organization, the overall burden of subfertility and infertility is significant and likely underestimated1. In addition to infertility, women with PCOS are at an increased risk of chronic health problems, including diabetes, raised blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and cancer of the womb,” says Professor McPherson.

“This research project, which will use some of the most advanced technical approaches in neuroscience, aligns with many of the government’s goals, including improving sexual and reproductive health, and reducing the incidence and impact of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.”

Professor McPherson says that a recent survey shows that paediatrics and reproductive medicine is one of a number of fields where HRC-funded researchers’ published articles achieved double the world average for scientific influence2, demonstrating the depth of expertise in this area.

The full list of all the successful HRC project recipients for 2015 is below. Lay summaries of all the funded projects are available at www.hrc.govt.nz/funding-opportunities/recipients (filter for ‘Researcher initiated proposals’, ‘Projects’, ‘2015’). Please note: this link will be live as of 6am on Thursday, 4 June 2015.

1 World Health Organization. Sexual and reproductive health. Retrieved from www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/infertility/perspective/en (25 May 2015)
2 www.hrc.govt.nz/hrc-bibliometric-study-2014

HRC project recipients for 2015

Associate Professor Haxby Abbott, University of Otago, Dunedin
The impact and management of rising osteoarthritis burden
36 months, $1,197,719

Professor Bernhard Breier, Massey University, Auckland
The gut microbiome: a new pathway to obesity prevention and metabolic health
36 months, $1,199,468

Dr Jonathan Broadbent, University of Otago, Dunedin
Oral health from childhood to mid-life
60 months, $1,193,937

Dr Rebecca Brookland, University of Otago, Dunedin
Older drivers, families and GPs: Navigating the path between mobility and safety
36 months, $1,193,921

Dr Rebecca Campbell, University of Otago, Dunedin
Probing novel pathways mediating polycystic ovarian syndrome
36 months, $910,114

Professor Larry Chamley, the University of Auckland
A healthy life starts with a bio-energetically healthy placenta
36 months, $ 1,193,142

Associate Professor Bronwen Connor, the University of Auckland
Cellular reprogramming: A unique approach to understanding Huntington's disease
36 months, $1,190,497

Dr Donna Cormack, University of Otago, Wellington
Te whakahawea tangata: Decoding discrimination
24 months, $334,994

Professor Julian Crane, University of Otago, Wellington
Carrageenan for the reduction of asthma exacerbations in adults
36 months, $1,196,068

Associate Professor Alan Davidson, the University of Auckland
The role of the Pax-Notch pathway in kidney disease
36 months, $1,067,513

Associate Professor Sarah Derrett, Massey University, Palmerston North
Subsequent Injury Study (SInS): Improving outcomes for injured New Zealanders
24 months, $588,676

Professor Jeroen Douwes, Massey University, Wellington
Persistent airflow limitation and the airway microbiome in childhood asthma
48 months, $1,199,980

Professor Richard Edwards, University of Otago, Wellington
The New Zealand international tobacco control project
48 months, $1,199,957

Professor Edward Gane, Auckland District Health Board
Molecular predictors of liver cancer in Maori with chronic hepatitis B
24 months, $529,899

Dr Jeffrey Erickson, University of Otago, Dunedin
CaMKII inhibition as a novel therapy for diabetic cardiomyopathy
36 months, $1,046,772

Professor Parry Guilford, University of Otago, Dunedin
The chemoprevention and treatment of diffuse gastric cancer
36 months, $1,189,286

Professor Jane Harding, the University of Auckland
Does preventing neonatal hypoglycaemia improve outcome at two years of age?
60 months, $ 1,599,837

Associate Professor Julia Horsfield, University of Otago, Dunedin
Investigating a novel drug target in acute myeloid leukaemia
36 months, $1,147,327

Dr Tristram Ingham, University of Otago, Wellington
Whakapai e te Ara Hā: A health literacy approach to tamariki asthma
36 months, $1,199,724

Dr Michael Keall, University of Otago, Wellington
Safety on steps: a randomised controlled trial
48 months, $1,199,815

Professor Anthony Kettle, University of Otago, Dunedin
Oxidative stress in cystic fibrosis
36 months, $801,555

Dr Bridget Kool, the University of Auckland
Prehospital injury deaths: preventability, service accessibility and equity
24 months, $598,181

Dr Peter Mace, University of Otago, Dunedin
Role of the Trib1 pseudokinase in breast cancer pathology
36 months, $1,128,825

Dr Fiona McBryde, the University of Auckland
Hypertension after stroke – therapeutic or pathological?
36 months, $1,055,738

Dr Melanie-Jane McConnell, Victoria University of Wellington
Mitochondrial injury and inter-cellular mitochondrial transfer
36 months, $1,036,746

Professor Mark McKeage, the University of Auckland
Lung cancer genetic testing in New Zealand
36 months, $1,182,641

Dr Harry McNaughton, Medical Research Institute of New Zealand
Self-directed rehabilitation RCT after stroke: a practical, low cost programme
36 months, $1,199,802

Dr Thomas Proft, the University of Auckland
TeeVax - a novel vaccine against group A streptococcus?
36 months, $1,122,354

Associate Professor Lynette Sadlier, University of Otago, Wellington
Gene discovery in epilepsy: the building block of precision medicine
36 months, $1,198,069

Dr Vanessa Selak, the University of Auckland
Aspirin harm benefit calculator to guide cardiovascular primary prevention
24 months, $632,382

Dr Natalie Walker, the University of Auckland
The combined use of nicotine replacement therapy and e-cigarettes
36 months, $1,199,916

Professor Karen Witten, Massey University, Auckland
Enabling participation for children and young people with disabilities
36 months, $784,464

Dr Paul Young, Medical Research Institute of New Zealand
TARGET (The Augmented versus Routine approach to Giving Energy Trial)
48 months, $ 1,200,000

ENDS

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