Münster -  Around one in six couples have difficulties conceiving, and an increasing number of cases are due to fertility issues in men. Yet male infertility remains under-recognised and insufficiently understood. With the approval of its second funding period, the ReproTrack.MS junior scientist research centre at the University of Münster and University Hospital Münster will continue its interdisciplinary efforts to uncover the causes of male infertility and improve its diagnosis and treatment.

A common misconception is that infertility is primarily a female issue. In reality, male factors are involved just as often. In around one third of cases, infertility is attributable to factors affecting both partners. In another third of cases, it is due to factors affecting only the male partner, and in the remaining third, it is due to factors affecting only the female partner. Understanding male infertility is therefore essential to improving reproductive healthcare. 

The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has now approved funding for a second period of ReproTrack.MS, an interdisciplinary junior scientist research centre at the University of Münster and University Hospital Münster. The Ministry has been funding ReproTrack.MS. since 2023. ReproTrack.MS aims to unravel the biological mechanisms underlying male infertility and to translate these findings into improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. A more precise understanding of the causes helps to develop personalised treatment.

Ten early-career researchers – five in basic research and five in clinical research – form the interdisciplinary core of the centre. “This close interaction between basic and clinical research and practice is extremely important to us. It has been one of the key success factors of ReproTrack.MS so far, and we are keen to build on it in the second funding period,” emphasise the coordinators of the centre, Frank Tüttelmann, Sabine Kliesch, Timo Strünker, and Nina Neuhaus.

To strengthen reproductive research and prepare the next generation of academic leaders, ReproTrack.MS established a dedicated training programme in 2023 for Medical and (Advanced) Clinician Scientists. The programme combines interdisciplinary scientific and clinical training with structured career development and practical support, preparing fellows for future leadership positions in academic research and medicine.