Fifty years have passed since doctors Carl Wood and John Leeton achieved the first in vitro transfer of a human embryo into a uterus. That first trial didn't work, he barely lasted a week inside the body that was supposed to conceive him. Five years later, and after more than a hundred failed embryo transfers, Patrick Steptoe, Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy finally achieved it.
On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown was born, the world's 'first test tube baby', as it was said then. Now, in Spain alone, more than 40,000 children are born through assisted reproduction per year.
Science, therefore, has more than overcome a superb challenge to which, over time, new questions arise. How do these babies evolve as they grow? How does age affect them? Does your unique origin end up taking a toll on your health in some way?
Now we are looking for fifteen researchers who will write their theses in this project, which has already accumulated two years of previous work.
The joint European doctoral program 'Aphrodite', which is led by the University of Murcia (UMU), has proposed to respond to all of this.
«The objective is to train a group of fifteen young researchers who will carry out their doctoral theses analyzing the impact of assisted reproduction techniques ('in vitro' fertilization and others) on gametes (eggs and sperm) and embryos, at a molecular and chromosomal,” explains Professor Sebastián Cánovas Bernabé, from the Department of Physiology at the UMU Faculty of Nursing. “We study whether individuals born through assisted reproduction show changes in their health when they are adults and how the age of the parents affects it,” he says.
Research entities and companies from Spain, Denmark, France, Holland, Ireland, Italy and the United States participate in the 'Aphrodite' initiative.
These are issues that matter directly to a population that exceeds nine million people. That is the number of children who have already been born through assisted reproductive techniques around the world.
“We consider that the conditions of these techniques can be optimized to reduce their impact on the health of individuals born in this way,” says the specialist.
Institutions involved
Dr. Cánovas Bernabé is in charge of coordinating the project. He fulfills the role of “interlocutor vis-à-vis the European Union among the 17 participating institutions and more than 50 researchers” involved, he explains.
Specialists are also concerned about the age of the parents – increasingly advanced – which has led them to consider “the consequences that this may entail.”
They also look for alternatives for cases of infertility that currently have no treatment. “For this – he specifies – we carry out research on both animals and the human species.” It's not an unusual combination. “In fact, reproductive medicine has long benefited from the combined efforts of scientists who study reproduction in animals,” he adds.
On the planet there are already more than nine million people born thanks to in vitro fertilization techniques
There are many veterinarians who try to improve the reproductive performance of livestock species, and doctors who seek to improve human health.
Human in vitro fertilization, in fact, was possible after the previous success achieved in 1934 in the fertilization of rabbits by the American researcher Gregory Pincus.
Currently, the production of embryos in animals with these techniques – for example, in cattle – has great interest, both productive and economic, the scientist emphasizes. «Globally, in 2022, 1.7 million animal embryos were produced in the laboratory. And it is estimated that this market will reach 1.5 billion dollars in 2024″, which is equivalent to more than 1.4 billion euros at the current exchange rate. Another reason to put the focus on an initiative that, with its notable human aspect, already has more than enough incentives to pay attention to it.
Non-conventional
The one led by the University of Murcia is not a “conventional” program, warns the coordinator. Its transnational nature forces it to comply with the rules set by the European Union, since it is the one that finances it “through the Maria–Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA).”
This implies that participating doctoral students must carry out their research in two universities, and in research centers or companies located in different countries.
It is also contemplated to improve future employment options for professionals with knowledge of high medical and social interest.
The objective is to improve the future employment options of professionals with knowledge of high medical and social interest. “For this they are offered a highly competitive salary for 36 months and they will obtain a doctorate degree from two universities.” In addition, they will have the prestige and recognition that MSCA programs entail, “a true indicator of quality for researchers.”
The 'Aphrodite' program, which lasts four years, started last month, so it is now still in the process of selecting the 15 researchers who will carry out their theses under this valuable umbrella.
In reality, the project has already been underway for more than two years, if we consider the period of preparation of the proposal plus the coordination of the partners, “on which we have worked intensely,” says its coordinator.
“The level of excellence required by a proposal of this type requires the highest level of concentration to try to be among the best European proposals, as we finally achieved, with a score of 98 points out of a maximum of 100,” appreciates Cánovas.
Five European universities, three research centers, a hospital, an assisted reproduction clinic and seven large specialized companies participate in the initiative. All of this distributed in eight countries: Denmark, Spain, France, Holland, Ireland, Italy and the United States.
The global animal embryo business will exceed 1.4 billion euros this year
The more than four million euros in which the program is budgeted are financed by the European Union. These cover the salaries of doctoral students, their travel, the training activities they require, management costs and the necessary equipment and research materials.
“In addition, the participating partners provide cutting-edge equipment for the development of research, and the experience of a panel of professionals that represents enormous intangible value.” They are important resources for a project that, as usually happens in this type of initiative, is still much larger than what it costs,” emphasizes Sebastián Cánovas.
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A long road to reach 'Aphrodite'
Work process at very reduced temperatures in assisted reproduction.
Inma G. Pardo/ UMU
The University of Murcia (UMU) already has “a long research career in the field of physiology and reproductive technology,” says Professor Sebastián Cánovas Bernabé, coordinator of the 'Aphrodite' program of the European Union, which has just start and will continue for four years. The Reproductive Physiology group (Fisiorep), in which he himself works, has numerous regional, national and international research projects, as well as contracts with companies in the sector, “from which high-impact publications in journals have been obtained.” international. This work is also reflected in the master's degree in Biology and Reproductive Technology in Mammals, which this year reaches its 19th edition, and which almost 400 students have completed. The professor affirms that it is one of the degrees “included in the lists of the most prestigious master's degrees at a national level.”
«In this framework –he explains– and at an international level, the fact that researchers from universities as prestigious as those participating in the program [‘Afrodita’] “The proposal to lead this initiative is a recognition of our leadership as a research group and the management capacity of the University of Murcia.”
In total, Fisiorep has more than 25 years working on assisted reproduction techniques and in vitro production of embryos of various animal species. This UMU team, explains Dr. Cánovas, has also been a pioneer in proposing that 'in vitro' fertilization be carried out under conditions similar to what occurs in the body. It refers, among others, to the use of fluids obtained from the fallopian tubes and uterus. During his training as a postdoctoral researcher in the United States, Professor Sebastián Cánovas already began a path that later led him to continue research in Spain related “to the health of individuals born from these techniques.”
Among the experience of the professionals who are now part of their team, another joint doctoral program stands out, called Repbiotech –and also funded by the EU–, which between 2019 and 2025 was coordinated by Professor Pilar Coy, “with very relevant results.” . Cánovas highlights that the combination of all that experience and ideas, which has been growing with proposals from other international groups that are part of 'Afrodita', has been the germ of the new initiative that is now coordinated from the University of Murcia.
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