(2020-2022) – Principal Investigator for IVN Anca Botezatu, PhD.

Aim: Developing AI algorithms that intend to help the clinician in the formulation of the diagnosis, making of therapeutic decisions and the outcome prediction for infertile men.

Partners: Coordinator:– „Stefan S. Nicolau” Institute of Virology,  project director Anca Botezatu, PhD

Partner 1 – “C.I. PARHON” NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY responsible Daniela Dinu-Draganescu PhD

Partner 2 – NET – CONNECT BUSINESS SUPPORT SRL responsible Octavian Marin

Working team: Botezatu A, Anton G, Diaconu C, Plesa A, Iancu I, Huica I, Fudulu A, Albulescu A

Funding: 225 000 LEI

Project: PED UEFISCDI, PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019-4402
Implementation period: octomber 2020 – september 2022

Summary: Causes of male infertility were reported as mainly Y chromosome deletions. However only 10-15% of infertile patients shows such anomalies. Studies regarding infertility expanded from the genetic level to epigenetic factors.  The proposal aims to improve investigation protocols and diagnosis for male infertile patients. This scope will be achieved through developing a method for epigenetic profiler (panel) which will evaluate the level of methylation for selected genes involved in male infertility and to develop a decision support system (DSS) based on artificial intelligence (AI) that can predict the results a from a questionnaire, hormonal profile, infection status, methylation panel and semen analysis. The novelty of current proposal is to elaborate a new protocol and AI based algorithms to investigate infertile men, not only to diagnose, but to improve the selection for assisted reproduction techniques (ART). Such investigations, protocols are not introduced yet in the current practice worldwide, and are the subject of great interest for researchers and especially for clinicians who expect validating and transferring research results into the clinic as soon as possible. Despite the fact that the number of clinics performing assisted reproductive procedures is high, the success rate is low due to lack of opportunities for testing at the molecular level functionality sperm and oocytes.

Results:

1. Anca Botezatu, Susana Vladoiu, Alina Fudulu, Adrian Albulescu, Adriana Plesa, A Muresan, C Stancu, Iulia V Iancu, Carmen C Diaconu, A Velicu, Oana Popa, Corin Badiu, D Dinu-Draganescu (2022). Advanced molecular approaches in male infertility diagnosis. Biology of Reproduction. 2022; https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioac105. IF= 4.161
2. Dinu Draganescu Daniela , Anca Botezatu , Suzana Vilma Vladoiu , Fudulu Alina, Albulescu Adrian , Oana-Monica Popa , Andrei Muresan , Plesa Adriana, Iancu Iulia Virginia , Dinu Draganescu Daria , Cristina Stancu , Velicu Alexandru , Purice Mariana , Padure Adriana , Udrea Luminita , Kremer Andreea, Dumitrica Alina Elena & Corin Badiu Hormonal profile in idiopathic male infertility, European Congress of Endocrinology, Milano, Italia (21-25.05.2022), Endocrine Abstracts (2022) 81EP862 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.81.EP862, ISSN 1479-6848
3. Botezatu Anca, Fudulu Alina, Albulescu Adrian, Pleșa Adriana, Iancu Iulia Virginia, Diaconu Carmen Cristina, Dinu-Drăgănescu Daniela, Vlădoiu Susana, Badiu Corin, Mureșan Andrei, Popa Monica, Marin Octavian. Cerere Brevet national: „Panel de oligonucleotide tintite pentru diagnosticul epigenetic al infertilitatii masculine”. Cerere OSIM: A/00651, 19/10/2022.