INFERTILITY

Definition of a personalized signature of chronic inflammation and early aging predictive of the development of comorbidities in infertile men.

Infertility is a disease of near-endemic prevalence, affecting up to 15% of couples of reproductive age. A pure male factor accounts for at least 30% of infertility cases. Emerging clinical evidence indicates that infertile men have a significantly higher risk of developing age-related comorbidities, observed in nearly 10% of cases. Although the biological mechanisms linking impaired fertility to overall male health remain incompletely understood, growing data suggest that chronic inflammation and premature cellular senescence may represent the key pathophysiological connection between male infertility and the early onset of comorbid conditions.

The overarching aim of this project is to identify and characterize the molecular and clinical mechanisms driving increased inflammation, unhealthy aging, and early comorbidity development in infertile men. Using a multifaceted and integrative approach, the project seeks to identify reliable biomarkers and personalized biological signatures capable of stratifying infertile men according to their actual risk of developing comorbidities. Ultimately, these findings are expected to support the development of targeted preventive strategies and contribute to improving early intervention policies within the national healthcare system.

Funding sources:

PNRR – MISSIONE 6 – COMPONENTE 2 INVESTIMENTO 2.1 VALORIZZAZIONE E POTENZIAMENTO DELLA RICERCA BIOMEDICA DEL SSN – Ministero della Salute (Roma, IT) – GRANT_NUMBER: MAD-2022-12375994

Research Team:

The project is coordinated by Prof. Andrea Salonia, Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, and consist of additional 3 Units lead by Prof. Carlo Ginesu, University of Sassari, Prof. Vincenzo Ficarra, University of Messina and Andrea Angius, National Research Council (CNR), Research Director of IRGB-CNR (Monserrato).