Multi-user equipment approved in grant 21/06645-0: CytoFLEX System B3-R0-V3

• Grant number: 22/01505-8
• Support Opportunities: Multi-user Equipment Program
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Juliano Coelho da Silveira
• Grantee: Juliano Coelho da Silveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Pirassununga
• Associated research grant: 21/06645-0 - Extracellular vesicles as a platform for diagnostic and manipulation of the in vitro embryo production system: the next generation in animal reproduction, AP.JP2
• EMU web page: Página do Equipamento Multiusuário não informada
• Type of equipment: Caracterização e Análises de Amostras - Proteínas/Ácidos nuclêicos - PCR
• Manufacturer: Fabricante não informado
• Model: Modelo não informado

Abstract

In vitro production of embryos (IVP) is widely used in humans and animals as alternatives to infertility problems and a tool to increase the production efficiency of livestock animals, especially in cattle. Since its beginning, IVP relied on the constant evolution of cell culture media composition based on the observed composition of reproductive biofluids. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized shuttles present in different body fluids, including ovarian follicular fluid, oviductal and uterine fluid, and are believed to be involved in cell-to-cell communication. EVs play an important role in mediating the exchange of bioactive materials such as miRNAs, mRNAs, and proteins. In addition, EVs are used for diagnostics and therapeutics purposes, enabling for the detection of cellular changes and modifying target cells, respectively. Previously from our laboratory focused on investigated miRNAs, proteins and mRNAs contents of EVs in ovarian follicular fluid, oviductal fluid, uterine fluid, bull seminal plasma, and blood serum. These experiments uncovered a list of many miRNAs, protein and mRNA targets in EVs, which were demonstrated to be associated with oocyte and sperm competence as well as with embryo development. However, considerable gaps still need to be addressed, including identifying the mechanisms involved in EVs cargo (miRNA and mRNA) delivery to cumulus and oocytes, the development of non-invasive and reliable platforms to perform IVP diagnostics, and the development of new-generation non-animal-based culture media, to treat gametes and embryos in vitro. This project aims to answer these gaps and test the hypothesis that small extracellular vesicles are a diagnostic and therapeutic tool to improve in vitro embryo production. To test this hypothesis, we propose three main objectives: 1) Determine the mechanisms involved in extracellular vesicles delivery of miRNAs and mRNAs to cumulus cells and early embryos using EVs from follicular fluid and oviductal fluid, as well as their impact on cumulus-oocyte and embryos upon small EVs supplementation. 2) Develop a microfluid system to allow for embryo-conditioned media sampling and EVs analysis. 3) Determine the role of ovarian granulosa cell cultures as bioreactors for the generation of extracellular vesicles compared to liposomes and hybrid vesicles as delivery agents. Upon completion, this project will identify new tools to allow the use of EVs for specific cargo delivery and the use of these vesicles for small volume cell-free based diagnostics. This project will improve our understanding of EVs cargo delivery, therapeutic and diagnostic, which will accelerate the development of a next generation platform for animal reproduction, impacting domestic animal IVP industry and human health. Thus, at the end of this grant we aim to have miRNAs and mRNAs suitable to be used as supplement for IVP and as tools to determine gamete and embryo quality increasing the IVP efficiency. (AU)

Scientific publications

(5)

(The scientific publications listed on this page originate from the Web of Science or SciELO databases. Their authors have cited FAPESP grant or fellowship project numbers awarded to Principal Investigators or Fellowship Recipients, whether or not they are among the authors. This information is collected automatically and retrieved directly from those bibliometric databases.)

CHAVES, MATHEUS ANDRADE; PRADO, CIBELE MARIA; FIORENZA, MARIANI FARIAS; ALMEIDA, MARIA ALICE DE; SOUZA, CAMILA AZZOLIN DE; PERECIN, FELIPE; PINHO, SAMANTHA CRISTINA DE; SILVEIRA, JULIANO COELHO DA. Development of liposomal nanocarriers for granulosa cell interaction: Integrating physicochemical characterization with gene expression analysis. COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES, v. 257, p. 13-pg., 2026-01-26. (22/01505-8, 14/22887-0, 21/06645-0, 15/21829-9, 22/01236-7)

FERST, JULIANA GERMANO; CHAVES, MATHEUS ANDRADE; SILVA, AMANDA NESPOLO; SALDANHA, SCHAIENNI FONTOURA; FERREIRA, ROGERIO; NOCITI, RICARDO PERECIN; DOS SANTOS, ANGELICA CAMARGO; SOUZA, SAMUEL VOLPE; CHIARATTI, MARCOS ROBERTO; PUGLIESI, GUILHERME; et al. Uterine Extracellular Vesicles Can Emulate the Long-Term Effects of Post-Partum Negative Energy Balance in Dairy Cows. Molecular Reproduction and Development, v. 92, n. 10, p. 21-pg., 2025-10-01. (22/01433-7, 22/01505-8, 14/22887-0, 23/04558-8, 15/21829-9, 21/06645-0, 20/13075-2)

FIORENZA, MARIANI FARIAS; BRIDI, ALESSANDRA; DOS SANTOS, GISLAINE; ROSA, PAOLA MARIA; ALVES, LUANA; FERST, JULIANA GERMANO; FERRAZ, PRISCILA ASSIS; PUGLIESI, GUILHERME; POHLER, KY; PERECIN, FELIPE; et al. Labeled extracellular vesicles can be found in the blood plasma shortly after intrauterine infusion in bovine. ANIMAL REPRODUCTION, v. 21, n. 3, p. 6-pg., 2024-01-01. (22/01505-8, 19/06696-3, 22/01235-0, 22/01433-7, 21/06645-0)

BARCELOS, STEFHANI MARTINS; ROSA, PAOLA MARIA DA SILVA; MOURA, ANA BEATRIZ BOSSOIS; VILLARROEL, CARLA LUJAN PEREIRA; BRIDI, ALESSANDRA; BISPO, ELIZABETE CRISTINA ISEKE; GARCEZ, EMANUELLA MELGACO; OLIVEIRA, GABRIELA DE SOUZA; ALMEIDA, MARIA ALICE; MALARD, PATRICIA FURTADO; et al. Extracellular vesicles derived from bovine adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells enhance in vitro embryo production from lesioned ovaries. CYTOTHERAPY, v. 26, n. 10, p. 11-pg., 2024-09-24. (22/01505-8, 21/06645-0, 19/23840-0)

SIMONASSI-PAIVA, BIANCA; LUZ, JULIA ALVES; RIBEIRO, JULIA HELLENA; DA SILVEIRA, JULIANO COELHO; DE SOUZA, CAMILA AZZOLIN; PAPPAS JR, GEORGIOS JOANNIS; DE CARVALHO, JULIANA LOTT; LYNCH, MARK; POGUE, ROBERT; ROWAN, NEIL J.. Identification of eccDNA in Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Human Dermal Fibroblasts Through Nanopore Sequencing. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, v. 26, n. 9, p. 17-pg., 2025-04-27. (21/06645-0, 15/21829-9, 22/01505-8)