Commercialization of novel biomarkers of male fertility in humans and farm animals

Abstract

Each year, US infertility clinics treat 135,000 couples who fail to conceive naturally. Up to 40% of these infertility cases can be attributed to male infertility stemming from poor sperm quality. An additional 20% of couples present at the clinic with idiopathic, unexplained infertility, some of which is in fact hidden, misdiagnosed male infertility. Due to a paucity of accurate diagnostic methods and efficient treatments, the success rate of assisted fertilization, measured by live births, stagnates around the disappointing 35% margin. Many parallels exist between human male infertility and male reproductive performance in farm animals, where the estimated losses from inferior reproductive performance amount to millions of dollars annually, according to USDA.