Sai Ma

PhD

Investigator, BC Children's Hospital

The tools of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have catalyzed remarkable developments in reproductive medicine. As a result, over five million babies have been born worldwide using ART since the first live birth derived from in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978. The prevalence of ART is largely a consequence of the high frequency of couples experiencing fertility difficulties (~15%) that can be treated by ART.

Our research goals are focused on genetic epigenetic investigations, at multiple levels of human development, related to the reproductive health of couples undergoing ART. My overall research program has been dedicated to understanding the roles genetics and epigenetics play in male infertility as well as in the negative outcomes of pregnancies derived from ART.

The objectives of my research program are diverse and include: (1) the identification and analysis of meiotic errors and its association with sperm aneuploidy and male infertility, and epigenetic modifications in male infertility; (2) the definition of the basal level of chromosomal abnormalities in pre-implantation embryos, and differentiation of the roles of meiotic and mitotic abnormalities in implantation failure in ART; (3) the examination of the potential genetic and epigenetic risks associated with ART pregnancies that may offer opportunities to develop unique strategies to prevent abnormal pregnancies after ART.