Research Topic for the ParisTech/CSC PhD Program
Subfield: Bioinformatics, Big Data
ParisTech School: Telecom ParisTech Title: Infertility and semen microbiome
Advisor(s): David Baud (CHUV, Lausanne, CH, https://www.chuv.ch/dgo/dgo_home/dgorecherche.htm), Aslan Tchamkerten (https://perso.telecom-paristech.fr/~tchamker/, Telecom ParisTech, FR)
Short description of possible research topics for a PhD:
Infertility is the inability of a person, animal or plant to reproduce by natural means.
Infertility affects one in seven couples worldwide and a male factor is identified in about 50% of all couples seeking infertility treatment. However, a specific cause is identified in only 50% of male infertility cases. Although lifestyle and environmental factors have been proposed for idiopathic male infertility, no clear etiology has yet been demonstrated. Bacterial infection or colonization might impair fertility potential in men.
Male infertility is most commonly linked to low semen quality (count, motility, morphology). Since the 1980s, a concerning deterioration in semen quality has been reported. A growing number of studies have shown that the sperm quality decline by 1-2% per year. This phenomenon seems to have accelerated during the last decade and is even higher in Europe.
The scope of this thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of the cause of male infertility through the study of the semen microbiome bacterial community of male patients from couples suffering from infertility. Ultimately this thesis aims at unveiling microbiological markers associated with male infertility.
This project represents a joint collaboration between CHUV (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzeland) and Telecom ParisTech (Paris, France). CHUV will provide semen microbiome bacterial DNA from from about 200 males with recognized infertility problems. This DNA contains a massive amount of data which we will use to learn key attributes (e.g., bacteria abundance) that correlate with male infertility. It is expected that this thesis will shed light on new methods to prevent and treat male infertility.
Required background of the student: Ideally a EE/CS/Math profile familiar with machine learning algorithms and computer programming (Python). Importantly, the student should be open to crossdisciplinary projects.
A list of 5 (max.) representative publications of the group:
Roles of bovine Waddlia chondrophila and Chlamydia trachomatis in human preterm birth. Baud D, Goy G, Vasilevsky S, Osterheld MC, Roth-Kleiner M, Croxatto A, Greub G. New Microbes New Infect. 2014 Nov 29;3:41-5. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2014.11.004. eCollection 2015 Jan. PMID: 25755892
Role of Chlamydia trachomatis and emerging Chlamydia-related bacteria in ectopic pregnancy in Vietnam. Hornung S, Thuong BC, Gyger J, Kebbi-Beghdadi C, Vasilevsky S, Greub G, Baud D. Epidemiol Infect. 2015 Sep;143(12):2635-8. doi: 10.1017/S0950268814003616. Epub 2014 Dec 29. PMID: 25543825
Treatment of genital mycoplasma in colonized pregnant women in late pregnancy is associated with a lower rate of premature labour and neonatal complications. Vouga M, Greub G, Prod'hom G, Durussel C, Roth-Kleiner M, Vasilevsky S, Baud D. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2014 Oct;20(10):1074-9. doi: 10.1111/1469-0691.12686. Epub 2014 Jul 29. PMID: 24849820
Genital Chlamydia trachomatis: understanding the roles of innate and adaptive immunity in vaccine research. Vasilevsky S, Greub G, Nardelli-Haefliger D, Baud D. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2014 Apr;27(2):346-70. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00105-13. Review. PMID: 24696438
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