Evelyn Telfer

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Professor Evelyn E Telfer CBE FRSB Evelyn Telfer.jpg
Professor Evelyn E Telfer CBE FRSB

Evelyn Elizabeth Telfer CBE FRSB is a reproductive biologist and professor at the University of Edinburgh. She leads a research team which has successfully grown immature human eggs to maturity in the lab, and discovered that human ovaries are capable of growing new eggs. In 2018 she was named one of Porter magazine's Incredible Women of 2018. In January 2019 she delivered the Anne McLaren Memorial Lecture at the Joint Fertility Societies Meeting in Birmingham: Fertility 2019. The Society of Reproduction and Fertility (SRF) presented her with their Distinguished Scientist award. Professor Telfer was presented with the Marshall Medal by SRF at Fertility 2023 in Belfast in recognition of her world leading contributions to the field of ovarian function and fertility preservation. The Marshall Medal is the Society’s premier award established in 1963 to commemorate the life and work of the eminent physiologist FHA Marshall. [1]

Contents

Early life

Evelyn originates from Hurlford and was educated at Saint Joseph's Academy, Kilmarnock. She obtained a First class honours degree (BSc Hons) in Biology and Biometrics from Paisley College of Technology (now the University of the West of Scotland). At PCT she was named the most distinguished student of the school of science in her graduating year. Following her first degree she joined the University of Edinburgh to study for a PhD in ovarian development under the supervision of Professor Roger Gosden in the department of Physiology. She obtained her PhD from the University of Edinburgh in 1987. Her thesis investigated factors influencing the development of ovarian follicles in mammals. [2]

Career

Telfer is currently a reproductive biologist and Professor of Reproductive Biology at the University of Edinburgh. [3]

She is a former Associate Editor of Molecular Human Reproduction journal. [4] and a current Associate Editor for the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics. [5]

From 1987-1989, Telfer worked in the Department of Physiology at the University of Edinburgh. Here, she worked with the physiologist Roger Gosden to develop a culture system to support murine follicle development, one of the first of its kind. [6] [7]

From 1989-1992 Telfer was a postdoctoral fellow in John Eppig's Laboratory at the Jackson Labs in Bar Harbor Maine working on in vitro growth systems [8] and oocyte secreted factors. [9] She was the recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation award.

She returned to the University of Edinburgh in 1992 as a lecturer and established a research group working on ovarian development.

She led research which, in 2016, found evidence that the human ovary may have the capability to grow new eggs in adulthood. However, Telfer warned against premature clinical applications in fertility treatments before the findings have been fully understood. [10] Telfer has established collaborations with clinicians working on ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation for fertility preservation [11] and was part of the team that reported the first pregnancy in the U.K. following ovarian transplantation. [12] [13]

In 2018 she was named as one of Porter magazine's Incredible Women of 2018, recognised for her research growing oocyte cells to maturity in the lab, to the point at which they can be fertilised. [14] The research was the first successful attempt to grow fully mature human eggs, where previously it had only been achieved for mouse eggs. [15] The technique has implications for fertility treatment, in particular in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation and women who had their ovaries removed before cancer treatment. [16] Telfer was the project leader, [17] and co-authored an article publishing the research in the medical journal Molecular Human Reproduction in March 2018. [3] [18]

Telfer was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to female reproductive biology. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovary</span> Female reproductive organ that produces egg cells

The ovary is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocrine glands, secreting various hormones that play a role in the menstrual cycle and fertility. The ovary progresses through many stages beginning in the prenatal period through menopause.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menstrual cycle</span> Natural changes in the human female reproductive system

The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that makes pregnancy possible. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eggs and the cyclic release of estrogen and progesterone. The uterine cycle governs the preparation and maintenance of the lining of the uterus (womb) to receive an embryo. These cycles are concurrent and coordinated, normally last between 21 and 35 days, with a median length of 28 days. Menarche usually occurs around the age of 12 years; menstrual cycles continue for about 30–45 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oogenesis</span> Egg cell production process

Oogenesis or ovogenesis is the differentiation of the ovum into a cell competent to further develop when fertilized. It is developed from the primary oocyte by maturation. Oogenesis is initiated in the embryonic stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovarian follicle</span> Structure containing a single egg cell

An ovarian follicle is a roughly spheroid cellular aggregation set found in the ovaries. It secretes hormones that influence stages of the menstrual cycle. At the time of puberty, women have approximately 200,000 to 300,000 follicles, each with the potential to release an egg cell (ovum) at ovulation for fertilization. These eggs are developed once every menstrual cycle with around 450–500 being ovulated during a woman's reproductive lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folliculogenesis</span> Process of maturation of primordial follicles

In biology, folliculogenesis is the maturation of the ovarian follicle, a densely packed shell of somatic cells that contains an immature oocyte. Folliculogenesis describes the progression of a number of small primordial follicles into large preovulatory follicles that occurs in part during the menstrual cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovarian reserve</span>

Ovarian reserve is a term that is used to determine the capacity of the ovary to provide egg cells that are capable of fertilization resulting in a healthy and successful pregnancy. With advanced maternal age, the number of egg cell that can be successfully recruited for a possible pregnancy declines, constituting a major factor in the inverse correlation between age and female fertility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bone morphogenetic protein 15</span> Protein-coding gene in humans

Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BMP15 gene. It is involved in folliculogenesis, the process in which primordial follicles develop into pre-ovulatory follicles.

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation is a technique used in assisted reproduction involving the use of fertility medications to induce ovulation by multiple ovarian follicles. These multiple follicles can be taken out by oocyte retrieval for use in in vitro fertilisation (IVF), or be given time to ovulate, resulting in superovulation which is the ovulation of a larger-than-normal number of eggs, generally in the sense of at least two. When ovulated follicles are fertilised in vivo, whether by natural or artificial insemination, there is a very high risk of a multiple pregnancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In vitro maturation</span> Artificial maturation of harvested immature egg cells

In vitro maturation (IVM) is the technique of letting the contents of ovarian follicles and the oocytes inside mature in vitro. It can be offered to women with infertility problems, combined with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), offering women pregnancy without ovarian stimulation.

Poor ovarian reserve is a condition of low fertility characterized by 1): low numbers of remaining oocytes in the ovaries or 2) possibly impaired preantral oocyte development or recruitment. Recent research suggests that premature ovarian aging and premature ovarian failure may represent a continuum of premature ovarian senescence. It is usually accompanied by high FSH levels.

Transvaginal oocyte retrieval (TVOR), also referred to as oocyte retrieval (OCR), is a technique used in in vitro fertilization (IVF) in order to remove oocytes from an ovary, enabling fertilization outside the body. Transvaginal oocyte retrieval is more properly referred to as transvaginal ovum retrieval when the oocytes have matured into ova, as is normally the case in IVF. It can be also performed for egg donation, oocyte cryopreservation and other assisted reproduction technology such as ICSI.

Fertility preservation is the effort to help cancer patients retain their fertility, or ability to procreate. Research into how cancer, ageing and other health conditions effect reproductive health and preservation options are growing. Specifically sparked in part by the increase in the survival rate of cancer patients.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is cryopreservation of tissue of the ovary of a female.

Oogonial stem cells (OSCs), also known as egg precursor cells or female germline cells, are diploid germline cells with stem cell characteristics: the ability to renew and differentiate into other cell types, different from their tissue of origin. Present in invertebrates and some lower vertebrate species, they have been extensively studied in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster. OSCs allow the production of new female reproductive cells (oocytes) by the process of oogenesis during an organism's reproductive life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Gosden</span>

Roger Gordon Gosden is a British-American physiologist in the field of female reproductive medicine. His scientific research focused on understanding the basic biology of development and senescence of ovaries in women, including mathematically modeling those processes. He did important translational research on ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation.

Ovarian follicle activation can be defined as primordial follicles in the ovary moving from a quiescent (inactive) to a growing phase. The primordial follicle in the ovary is what makes up the “pool” of follicles that will be induced to enter growth and developmental changes that change them into pre-ovulatory follicles, ready to be released during ovulation. The process of development from a primordial follicle to a pre-ovulatory follicle is called folliculogenesis.

Ovarian follicle dominance is the process where one or more follicles are selected per cycle to ovulate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artificial ovary</span>

An artificial ovary is a potential fertility preservation treatment that aims to mimic the function of the natural ovary.

Ovarian culture is an in-vitro process that allows for the investigation of the development, toxicology and pathology of the ovary. This technique can also be used to study possible applications of fertility treatments e.g. isolating oocytes from primordial ovarian follicles that could be used for fertilisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovarian stem cell</span>

Ovarian stem cells are oocytes formed in ovarian follicle before birth in female mammals. They do not form post-natally, and are depleted throughout reproductive life. In humans it is estimated that 500,000–1,000,000 primordial follicles are present at birth, decreasing rapidly with age until roughly age 51 when ovulation stops, resulting in menopause. The origin of these oocytes remains under discussion. The publication of a study in 2004 proposing germ cell renewal in adult mice sparked a debate on the possibility of stem cells in the postnatal ovary. An increasing number of studies suggest that stem cells exist within the mammalian ovary and can be manipulated in vitro to produce oocytes, but whether such ovarian stem cells have the potential to differentiate into oocytes remains uncertain.

References

  1. ↑ https://srf-reproduction.org/grants-awards/awards/marshall-medal/
  2. ↑ Elizabeth, Telfer, Evelyn (1988). "Factors influencing follicular development in mammalian ovaries". hdl:1842/26993.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 "These lab-grown human eggs could combat infertility—if they prove healthy". Science | AAAS. 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  4. ↑ "Editorial_Board | MHR: Basic science of reproductive medicine | Oxford Academic". academic.oup.com. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  5. ↑ https://www.springer.com/journal/10815/editors
  6. ↑ Torrance, C.; Telfer, E.; Gosden, R. G. (1989). "Quantitative study of the development of isolated mouse pre-antral follicles in collagen gel culture". Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. 87 (1): 367–374. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0870367 . PMID   2621708.
  7. ↑ Telfer, E.; Torrance, C.; Gosden, R. G. (1990). "Morphological study of cultured preantral ovarian follicles of mice after transplantation under the kidney capsule". Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. 89 (2): 565–571. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0890565 . PMID   2401983.
  8. ↑ Eppig, J. J.; Telfer, E. E. (1993). Isolation and culture of oocytes. Methods in Enzymology. Vol. 225. pp. 77–84. doi:10.1016/0076-6879(93)25008-p. ISBN   9780121821265. PMID   8231884.
  9. ↑ Vanderhyden, B. C.; Telfer, E. E.; Eppig, J. J. (1992). "Mouse oocytes promote proliferation of granulosa cells from preantral and antral follicles in vitro". Biology of Reproduction. 46 (6): 1196–1304. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod46.6.1196 . PMID   1391318. S2CID   1619935.
  10. ↑ Devlin, Hannah (2016-10-07). "Evidence suggests women's ovaries can grow new eggs". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  11. ↑ Anderson, R. A.; Wallace WHB; Telfer, E. E. (2017). "Ovarian tissue cryopreservation for fertility preservation: Clinical and research perspectives". Human Reproduction Open. 2017 (1): hox001. doi:10.1093/hropen/hox001. PMC   6276668 . PMID   30895221.
  12. ↑ Dunlop, C. E.; Brady, B. M.; McLaughlin, M.; Telfer, E. E.; White, J.; Cowie, F.; Zahra, S.; Wallace, W. H.; Anderson, R. A. (2016). "Re-implantation of cryopreserved ovarian cortex resulting in restoration of ovarian function, natural conception and successful pregnancy after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for Wilms tumour". Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics. 33 (12): 1615–1620. doi:10.1007/s10815-016-0805-2. PMC   5171891 . PMID   27639996.
  13. ↑ https://www.ed.ac.uk/centre-reproductive-health/news/2017-news/edinburgh-baby-born-from-frozen-ovary-in-uk-first#:~:text=A%20cancer%20patient%20from%20Edinburgh,baby%20boy%20two%20weeks%20ago.
  14. ↑ "Fertility pioneer receives international award". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  15. ↑ Davis, Nicola (2018-02-09). "Breakthrough as human eggs developed in the lab for first time". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  16. ↑ Hamzelou, Jessica. "Primitive human eggs matured in the lab for the first time". New Scientist. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  17. ↑ Cookson, Clive (9 February 2018). "Mature human eggs grown for first time by scientists in UK". Financial Times. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  18. ↑ McLaughlin, M; Albertini, D F; Wallace, W H B; Anderson, R A; Telfer, E E (2018-01-30). "Metaphase II oocytes from human unilaminar follicles grown in a multi-step culture system". MHR: Basic Science of Reproductive Medicine. 24 (3): 135–142. doi: 10.1093/molehr/gay002 . hdl: 20.500.11820/55cbb793-3401-4172-80a9-44412ecdf216 . ISSN   1360-9947. PMID   29390119.
  19. ↑ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B10.
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