Dr Yeung joined Journal of Ovarian Research as an Associate Editor in 2023 and is now a Senior Editor on the board.
What first inspired you to pursue a career in ovarian research, and what has kept you engaged in the field?
I worked in a clinical assisted reproduction unit for the past 30 years. As a clinical embryologist, one of my research areas in reproductive medicine is fertilization aiming to improve fertilization rate and to avoid unexpected failure of fertilization during assisted reproduction treatment. My initial research in ovarian field was on spermatozoa-zona pellucida binding, the first step in fertilization. Recently, I am also interested in ovarian follicle development, specifically primordial and primary follicle development. Translational research in ovarian biology has always been difficult because of its potential long-term consequence of the resulting offspring when applying our earned knowledge in clinical treatment. However, it is also this challenge that keeps me in the field.
Looking back on your career so far, what achievement are you most proud of, and why?
My research work on spermatozoa-zona pellucida binding identified two isoforms of glycodelin, namely, glycodelin-F and glycodelin-C. They are glycoproteins in the human follicular fluid and cumulus mass matrix, respectively. These isoforms have identical protein core and are different only in glycosylation. Interestingly, the differences in glycosylation determine their biological activities in fertilization. Specifically, the two isoforms have opposite functions on spermatozoa-zona pellucida binding; the former inhibits while the latter stimulates the binding. The research has subsequently led to the first identification of sialyl-Lewis(x) oligosaccharide as the major carbohydrate ligand for human spermatozoa-zona pellucida binding.
What do you consider to be the most exciting development in ovarian research today?
The most exciting recent development in ovarian research today is the influence of ovarian niches on follicle development. We and others have demonstrated the importance of ovarian fibrosis and immune cells on ovarian aging and in ovarian dysfunction such as premature ovarian insufficiency. Further exploration in this area will be useful in answering some of the long-standing difficult questions in the ovarian research, such as “How can we help women with premature ovarian insufficiency?”
How has the field changed since you began your career, and what change has surprised you the most?
The recent single cells omics analyses and stem cells are likely to change our understanding of ovarian biology and pathology. Single cell analysis allows us to study the biology of individual ovarian cells and their possible interactions in the normal and diseased ovary. Pluripotent stem cells can be differentiated into primordial germ cells and pre-granulosa cells, and their assembly into ovarian organoids (“ovaroids”) is coming. The success of the technology will not only allow a reasonable and sustainable model for human ovary study but provide a screening platform for novel drug identification for treatment of various ovarian dysfunctions.
What is one research question in ovarian biology that you hope will be answered during your lifetime?
Can we delay ovarian aging?
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