E42: Sperm Capacitation: Molecular Mechanisms with Dr. Pablo Visconti

Welcome to Future Conceived, the official podcast of the Society for the Study of Reproduction. In this episode, host Cam Schmidt chats with Dr. Pablo Visconti, Professor of Animal and Veterinary Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Sperm maturation doesn't end with ejaculation, but instead continues in the female reproductive tract through a series of complex biochemical changes. This maturation process, known as capacitation, can make or break sperm success and its independent discovery in the 1950's by Austin and Chang helped pave the way for the first successful in vitro fertilization. Dr. Visconti has been studying the molecular mechanisms that control mammalian sperm capacitation for more than 40 years. This discussion offers a fascinating window into Dr. Visconti's approach to this problem and how his mechanistic insights have evolved as knowledge about sperm capacitation has accumulated over the course of his career.