Human Reproduction: Updates And New Horizons

The proposed book on progress in human reproduction will focus on recent developments and new approaches to study egg and sperm cells and embryo development and it will address the increasing demand for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to overcome infertility problems that are encountered by an increasing number of couples worldwide. It will include 30-40 chapters written by experts in their specific fields to provide information onin vitro sperm and egg preparations; in vitro oocyte maturation; in vitro fertilization; in vivo and in vitro development of spermatozoa and oocytes; assessment of sperm and oocyte quality; cell and molecular biology of sperm and egg cells; cryopreservation of sperm, eggs, embryos, and reproductive tissue; Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) including intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI); pre-implantation development; post-implantation development; genetic and epigenetic considerations; production of embryonic stem cells for patient-specific therapies; microinjection of specific factors for molecular therapies; and others.

Dr. Heide Schatten is Professor at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Her research is focused on cytoskeletal regulation and on cytoskeletal dysfunctions of the centrosome-microtubule complex in reproductive disorders and in cancers of the reproductive system. Her publications include advanced imaging methods, cellular and molecular biology, cancer biology, reproductive biology, microbiology and space biology which included collaborations with NASA scientists and experiments aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour to examine the effects of spaceflight on cytoskeletal organization during fertilization and development.? She entertains active collaborations with colleagues in the USA, Europe, China, and Latin America and has given numerous presentations in these and other countries. She is a member of the American Society for Cell Biology, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Microscopy Society of America. She has received numerous awards including grant awards from NASA, NIH, and NSF. She has published over 200 papers, 14 book chapters and edited several special topics journal issues and 10 books (completed; editor or co-editor), with 3 more books currently in progress. She is editor of several journals.