How CatSper and sperm health are controlled to help fertilization
Official title: Temperature and Polyamines: Their Roles in CatSper Regulation and Sperm Fertility
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11391862 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This NIH grant explores how factors like pH, temperature, polyamines, and hormones keep the sperm’s CatSper channel calm until the right moment to fertilize an egg, with the goal of understanding and improving fertility.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2026 |
| Project end | March 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $619,913 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HD119961-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11391862 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with fertility concerns or a desire to understand sperm biology and potential fertility interventions may be relevant for future clinical applications.
✕Less likely to help
People without reproductive health interests or fertility concerns may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
If approved, this work will study how the CatSper calcium channel in human sperm stays inactive in the male and female reproductive tracts and becomes activated only when needed. Researchers will use a model system to test how pH, temperature, polyamines, and progesterone influence CatSper activity during sperm maturation and journey through the reproductive tract. The findings could reveal why premature activation reduces fertility and may point to new ways to support healthy conception. The project combines basic science with a focus on conditions affecting male and female reproductive biology to better understand factors that enable successful fertilization.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: A better understanding of CatSper regulation could lead to new strategies to treat certain infertility issues or to prevent premature sperm activation.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies in mice and humans support that CatSper regulation is linked to the reproductive environment, suggesting this approach could yield meaningful insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lishko, Polina V — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Lishko, Polina V
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how some Amish communities maintain high birth rates in modern times
A project will build a large, time-sensitive dataset to understand why Amish families keep having many children, even as broader society has much lower birth rates.
-
Fighting fibroids with single-cell data to find new drugs
A study uses patient fibroid and normal tissue cells to find existing drugs that could be repurposed to treat fibroids, with tests in human cells and a mouse model.
-
Pesticide exposure and fertility health as people move from adolescence to adulthood
This long-term study follows people in Ecuador to see how pesticide exposure over the years relates to fertility and hormones as they become young adults.
-
CatSper and calcium signaling in sperm fertility
A study at Yale investigates how a sperm channel called CatSper helps calcium signaling to drive sperm movement and fertility in mammals.
-
How everyday cosmetic chemicals may affect women's fertility
This project looks at whether chemicals from cosmetics appear in blood and ovarian fluid and link to fertility in women trying to have children.
-
Chibby proteins' role in sperm development and male fertility
This project looks at how Chibby family proteins help sperm form and whether problems with these proteins contribute to male infertility.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.