Meiotic midbodies: how they shape egg quality and embryo development
Official title: Probing contents and fate of meiotic midbodies
Funded at Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j. · NIH-11349799 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project studies tiny cellular structures called meiotic midbodies and how they influence the quality of eggs and early embryos, using mice to uncover new methods and tools.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Piscataway, United States) |
| Project start | July 8, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $417,751 |
| NIH project number | 1R21HD121782-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11349799 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with infertility related to egg quality who might benefit from future IVF improvements or related diagnostic tools.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not affected by egg quality issues may not directly benefit from this basic science study.
What this research studies
Infertility treatments often depend on producing good eggs and embryos, but we still don’t fully understand the cellular components that make eggs healthy. The team will develop methods to isolate meiotic midbodies and analyze their RNA content, then track what happens to these structures during egg maturation in a new mouse model using high-resolution imaging. The work aims to reveal new regulators of egg and embryo quality and provide researchers with better tools to study midbody biology. Results could help guide future therapies to improve IVF outcomes for patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to new approaches to enhance egg quality and embryo development.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work in mouse models has linked meiotic midbodies to egg and embryo quality, supporting the relevance of this line of inquiry.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j.
Piscataway, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schindler, Karen a — Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j.
- Study coordinator: Schindler, Karen a
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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.