Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Proteolytically Degraded Alginate Hydrogels and Hydrophobic Microbioreactors for Porcine Oocyte Encapsulation
07:45

Proteolytically Degraded Alginate Hydrogels and Hydrophobic Microbioreactors for Porcine Oocyte Encapsulation

Published on: July 30, 2020

Assisted oocyte activation re-envisioned: a more physiological approach.

Philip Xie1, Stephanie Cheung1, Lily Ng1

  • 1The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States.

Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics
|June 15, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cellular expression domains of type 3 deiodinase in the meninges, choroid plexus, tanycytes and barrier tissues of the brain.

Frontiers in endocrinology·2026
Same author

Induction of Male Neogametogenesis in a Three-Dimensional Microenvironment Supporting Successful Fertilization and Proper Embryo Development.

Molecular human reproduction·2026
Same author

Prevalence and predictors of patient-directed discharge in patients with opioid use disorder.

General hospital psychiatry·2026
Same author

The human THRB thyroid hormone receptor gene and the puzzle of retinal disease phenotypes.

Developmental biology·2026
Same author

Artificial oocytes through haploidization of mouse endometrial stromal cells and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

F&S science·2025
Same author

One-quarter of men with azoospermia factor c deletions have sperm within the ejaculate at the time of planned microdissection testicular sperm extraction.

Fertility and sterility·2025
Same journal

Donor versus partner sperm in IVF/ICSI: risk of preeclampsia and obstetric outcomes in a prospective registry-linkage study.

Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics·2026
Same journal

Long-term maternal health outcomes following autologous in vitro fertilization compared with medically unassisted conceptions and with nulliparas.

Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics·2026
Same journal

Fertility preservation with successful pregnancy outcome in a young patient with endometrial cancer.

Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics·2026
Same journal

Recombinant LH supplementation during ovarian stimulation modulates early embryo morphokinetics without affecting IVF outcomes in normal responders: a retrospective time-lapse study.

Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics·2026
Same journal

Redefining success in assisted reproductive technologies: the Embryo-Maternal-Offspring Continuum Framework.

Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics·2026
Same journal

Anti-Müllerian hormone and somatic ovarian function: a new perspective.

Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics·2026
See all related articles

Assisted oocyte activation (AOA) using sperm phospholipase C-zeta (PLCζ) content effectively treats fertilization failure after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Dual AOA strategies significantly improve pregnancy outcomes, especially with immature sperm.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive biology and assisted reproductive technologies.
  • Spermatozoa and oocyte function in fertilization.
  • Genetics and molecular mechanisms of fertilization failure.

Background:

  • Severe or total fertilization failure after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) presents a significant challenge in assisted reproduction.
  • Sperm phospholipase C-zeta (PLCζ) is a key mediator of oocyte activation, and its deficiency is linked to fertilization failure.
  • Current assisted oocyte activation (AOA) strategies are often empirical, lacking gamete-specific targeting.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the gamete-specific causes of severe fertilization failure post-ICSI.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of individualized AOA strategies guided by sperm PLCζ content.
  • To compare outcomes of AOA with historical non-AOA ICSI cycles.
Keywords:
Assisted oocyte activationFertilization failureICSIPLCζ

More Related Videos

Mouse Round Spermatid Injection
08:41

Mouse Round Spermatid Injection

Published on: January 26, 2024

Capturing Cytoskeleton-Based Agitation of the Mouse Oocyte Nucleus Across Spatial Scales
05:43

Capturing Cytoskeleton-Based Agitation of the Mouse Oocyte Nucleus Across Spatial Scales

Published on: January 12, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Proteolytically Degraded Alginate Hydrogels and Hydrophobic Microbioreactors for Porcine Oocyte Encapsulation
07:45

Proteolytically Degraded Alginate Hydrogels and Hydrophobic Microbioreactors for Porcine Oocyte Encapsulation

Published on: July 30, 2020

Mouse Round Spermatid Injection
08:41

Mouse Round Spermatid Injection

Published on: January 26, 2024

Capturing Cytoskeleton-Based Agitation of the Mouse Oocyte Nucleus Across Spatial Scales
05:43

Capturing Cytoskeleton-Based Agitation of the Mouse Oocyte Nucleus Across Spatial Scales

Published on: January 12, 2024

Main Methods:

  • Pilot study analyzing sperm PLCζ content in ejaculated, epididymal, and testicular spermatozoa.
  • Prospective case series of 135 couples with prior fertilization failure undergoing ICSI.
  • PLCζ assay determined gamete-specific deficiency, guiding AOA treatment (ionophore-only, rhPLCζ-only, or combined).

Main Results:

  • Spermatozoa maturity and origin influenced PLCζ content.
  • AOA treatments (ionophore and rhPLCζ) successfully rescued fertilization and improved pregnancy rates compared to historical cycles.
  • Dual AOA (ionophore + rhPLCζ) demonstrated superior efficacy, significantly increasing fertilization (73.2%), implantation (31.7%), and ongoing pregnancy rates (63.3%), even with testicular spermatozoa.

Conclusions:

  • Recombinant PLCζ enables targeted correction of gamete-specific fertilization failures.
  • Dual AOA is highly effective for compounded etiologies and immature spermatozoa.
  • These findings support a transition from empirical to individualized AOA approaches.