Peter D Temple-Smith

Monash University (Australia) · Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Study question How often is ART treatment necessary and what is the true demand of ART treatment in Australia, as opposed to the published ART use? Summary answer The use of ART in Australia, as reported by ANZARD, exceeds the estimated demand of couples requiring ART treatment by 59%. What is known already ART has gained increasing attention ove...

Study question What trends can be observed in the type, quality and utility of research conducted from 1990-2021 assessing Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in relation to fertility? Summary answer The large majority of AMH-research in relation to fertility is conducted through non-randomised retrospective cohort studies and has limited clinical utilit...

Freshwater fish populations are declining with many small, Australian fish species at risk of extinction within the next twenty-years. Cryopreservation of reproductive cells and tissues makes it possible to reproduce individuals from a species even after they are extinct in the wild. We describe the successful cryopreservation of ovarian tissue in...

Although certain organisms are chosen and employed to better understand a specific problem in biology (so-called model organisms), sometimes an animal model reveals its' biomedical importance by happenstance. In many ways, the advent of spiny mice (Acomys) as an emerging model to study regeneration and menstruation stands as a case study in scienti...

Background The Egyptian spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) is the only known rodent to exhibit true, human-like menstruation and postpartum ovulation, and is an important new model for reproductive studies. Spiny mice do not produce a visible copulatory plug, and calculation of gestational age is therefore restricted by the need to use mated postpartum...

Menstruation, the cyclical breakdown of the uterine lining, is arguably one of evolution's most mysterious reproductive strategies. The complexity and rarity of menstruation within the animal kingdom is undoubtedly a leading contributor to our current lack of understanding about menstrual function and disorders. In particular, the molecular and env...

STUDY QUESTION Does the naturally menstruating spiny mouse go through menopause? SUMMARY ANSWER Our study is the first to show a natural and gradual menopausal transition in a rodent. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Age-related depletion of the human ovarian reserve (OvR) leads to menopause, the permanent cessation of menstruation and reproduction. Current...

Professor Short was a great scholar, researcher, teacher, mentor and raconteur whose research spanned 60 years and an incredible breadth of topics.

Egyptian spiny mice are the only known species to have human-like menstruation and a postpartum ovulation. Unfortunately, no endocrine or morphological evidence has been provided for a postpartum ovulation in spiny mice, and while later stages of pregnancy have been well studied, early events including embryo implantation and spiral artery remodell...

Purpose Oocyte quality and reproductive outcome are negatively affected by advanced maternal age, ovarian stimulation and method of oocyte maturation during assisted reproduction; however, the mechanisms responsible for these associations are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of ageing, ovarian stimulation and i...

The Egyptian or Common spiny mouse ( A . cahirinus ) is the first rodent species to show human-like menstruation and spontaneous decidualisation. We consider from these, and its other, human-like characteristics that this species will be a more useful and appropriate small animal model for human reproductive studies. Based on this, there is a need...

Abstract Globally, fish populations are in decline from overfishing, habitat destruction and poor water quality. Recent mass fish deaths in Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin highlight the need for improved conservation methods for endangered fish species. Cryopreservation of testicular tissue allows storage of early sperm precursor cells for use in...

Keloids are benign tumours caused by abnormal wound healing driven by increased expression of cytokines, including activin A. This study compared effects of activins on normal and keloid‐derived human dermal fibroblasts and investigated a novel treatment for keloids using follistatin. Normal skin and keloid tissue samples from 11 patients were used...

The menstruating Egyptian spiny mouse has recently been proposed as a new animal model for reproductive health research. Unfortunately, little is known about reproduction in males. This study compared several characteristics of sperm function before and after cryopreservation. Epididymal spermatozoa were cryopreserved in different concentrations of...

Fish populations continue to decline globally, signalling the need for new initiatives to conserve endangered species. Over the past two decades, with advances in our understanding of fish germ line biology, new ex situ management strategies for fish genetics and reproduction have focused on the use of germ line cells. The development of germ cell...

Understanding environmental factors influencing the abundance of species is important for developing strategies to manage wildlife effectively. Long‐term studies provide the most reliable information upon which to base management decisions. This is particularly important when considering threatening processes, like drought and climate change, and a...

Study question: Does female ageing have a negative effect on the DNA repair capacity of oocytes fertilised by spermatozoa with controlled levels of DNA damage? Summary answer: Compared to oocytes from younger females, oocytes from older females have a reduced capacity to repair damaged DNA introduced by spermatozoa. What is known already: The...

Maternal care in platypuses has never been rigorously studied due to the difficulty in locating and accessing nesting burrows. Here we describe the maternal behaviour of a captive female platypus and the growth and development of her offspring over 11 breeding seasons. We located a nesting burrow and inserted a camera to record the activity and beh...

The menstruating spiny mouse is the first rodent identified to exhibit natural spontaneous decidualisation, cyclical endometrial shedding and regeneration. While the spiny mouse shares several primate-like characteristics in its reproductive biology, it has not been established whether pseudopregnancy can be induced or if its cycles can be synchron...

STUDY QUESTION: Is male age associated with the clinical outcomes of IVF/ICSI cycles for idiopathic infertility after adjustment for female age? SUMMARY ANSWER: Male ageing is negatively associated with clinical IVF/ICSI outcomes in couples with idiopathic infertility independent of female age. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: The effect of male age on the...

We determined patterns of burrow use by juvenile platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in their natal home range, and evaluated associations between burrows and vegetation. Between March 2015 and March 2017, we captured seven juvenile platypuses along a 3-km stretch of Badger Creek, Victoria and fitted them with radiotransmitters. We recorded the l...

Many women suffer from either failed fertilisation or their embryos arrest early during development. Autologous mitochondrial supplementation has been proposed as an assisted reproductive technology to overcome these problems. However, its safety remains to be tested in an animal model to determine if there are transgenerational effects. We have su...

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is one of the world's most evolutionarily distinct mammals, one of five extant species of egg-laying mammals, and the only living species within the family Ornithorhynchidae. Modern platypuses are endemic to eastern mainland Australia, Tasmania, and adjacent King Island, with a small introduced population on...

Study question: Does the newly discovered menstruating spiny mouse exhibit behavioural and metabolic changes in correlation with premenstrual phases of the menstrual cycle? Summary answer: This is the first report of cycle variability in the exploratory and interactive behaviour, and food consumption in menstruating spiny mice, and demonstrates...

Mouse and lamb oocytes were vitrified with, or exposed to, different cryoprotectants and evaluated for their effects on their survival and developmental competence after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and activation treatments. Control oocytes remained untreated, whilst the remainder were exposed to three different combinations of vitrification solut...

Sperm cryopreservation protocols are species specific and there is currently no defined cryopreservation protocol for the spiny mouse. The aim of this study was to define a robust cryopreservation protocol for spiny mouse mature, epididymal spermatozoa. Epididymal sperm samples from adult spiny mice (n=24) were cryopreserved at two different rates...

Study question: Is the newly discovered menstruating rodent, the spiny mouse, a valid model for studying endometrial morphology and menstruation? Summary answer: Our study is the first to demonstrate a primate-like pattern of natural menstruation in a rodent, with decidualization, spiral arteriole remodeling and piece-meal endometrial shedding....

Study question: Does female aging have a negative effect on oocyte DNA repair capacity of controlled DNA damage levels introduced by spermatozoa? Summary answer: Oocytes from older females have reduced capacity to repair damaged DNA introduced by spermatozoa, compared to oocytes from younger females. What is known already: The reproductive lifespan...

We recently discovered the first known menstruating rodent. With the exception of four bats and the elephant shrew, the common spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) is the only species outside the primate order to exhibit menses. There are few widely accepted theories on why menstruation developed as the preferred reproductive strategy of these select mam...

The platypus nesting burrow, where females lay eggs and rear their young, has not been well studied. We have little knowledge of its structure and the process of construction. This study aimed to investigate nesting behaviour of breeding females and to describe the structure and features of the burrow. We used infrared cameras to record behaviour o...

Our understanding of genetic mechanisms driving early embryonic development is primarily based on experiments conducted on mice, however translation of findings can be limited by physiological differences between mice and humans. To address this, we investigated whether the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) is a closer model of early human embryonic d...

Opportunities for studying platypus courtship and mating behaviours in the wild are limited due to the nocturnal and cryptic nature of this species. We report on platypus courtship and mating behaviour from a successful breeding program at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, in which platypuses were held as either breeding pairs or trios over seven ye...

Anecdotal observations of captive platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) suggest that they show a seasonal preference for particular foods, but this has never been rigorously measured. This study aimed to determine seasonal food preferences and energy consumption of captive platypuses so that better protocols for maintaining platypuses in captivity...

In vertebrates, sperm structure is highly conserved with the head containing the hereditary information (DNA) neatly packaged into the nucleus and a neck or connecting piece usually attaching the head to the sperm tail or flagellum. The sperm tail is usually subdivided into a midpiece containing the mitochondria - the power generators of the cell -...

Spiny mice of the genus Acomys display several unique physiological traits, including menstruation and scar-free wound healing; characteristics that are exceedingly rare in mammals, and of considerable interest to the scientific community. These unique attributes, and the potential for spiny mice to accurately model human diseases, are driving incr...

Background Breast capsular contracture remains an elusive problem faced by plastic surgeons and is the leading long-term complication after breast implantation. Follistatin (Fst) is a protein with known anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties and has the potential to limit the severity of diseases associated with inflammation and fibrosis suc...

This study compared three cryopreservation protocols on sperm functions, IVF outcomes, and embryo development. Epididymal spermatozoa cryopreserved using slow‑cooling (18% w/v raffinose, RS‑C) were compared with spermatozoa vitrified using 0.25 M sucrose (SV) or 18% w/v raffinose (RV). The motility, vitality, and DNA damage (TUNEL assay) of fresh c...

De novo transcriptome assembly workflow

Background: Spiny mice of the genus Acomys are small desert-dwelling rodents that display physiological characteristics not typically found in rodents. Recent investigations have reported a menstrual cycle and scar free-wound healing in this species; characteristics that are exceedingly rare in mammals, and of considerable interest to the scientifi...

Background: Advances in research relating to menstruation and associated disorders (eg, endometriosis and premenstrual syndrome) have been hindered by the lack of an appropriate animal model. Menstruation, the cyclical shedding of the decidualized endometrium in the absence of pregnancy, is believed to be limited to 78 higher-order primates (human...

This study compared three cryopreservation protocols on sperm functions, IVF outcomes, and embryo development. Epididymal spermatozoa cryopreserved using slow-cooling (18% w/v raffinose, RS-C) were compared with spermatozoa vitrified using 0.25 M sucrose (SV) or 18% w/v raffinose (RV). The motility, vitality, and DNA damage (TUNEL assay) of fresh c...

Context Reintroduction is a popular tool for conserving endangered species, yet many attempts fail. Soft-release measures, including acclimatisation, have been used for many species around the world, based on the reasoning that gradual and supported reintroductions should improve the success of animals released into an unfamiliar wild environment....

This study compared three cryopreservation protocols on sperm functions, IVF outcomes, and embryo development. Epididymal spermatozoa cryopreserved using slow-cooling (18% w/v raffinose, RS-C) were compared with spermatozoa vitrified using 0.25 M sucrose (SV) or 18% w/v raffinose (RV). The motility, vitality, and DNA damage (TUNEL assay) of fresh c...

Mature TGF-β proteins are used in vivo to promote bone growth, combat obesity, reverse fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension, and as potential rejuvenation factors. However, the serum half-life of this family of growth factors is short (∼5 min), limiting their therapeutic potential. Because TGF-β proteins are normally secreted from cells wit...

Females in a variety of taxa mate with more than one male during a single oestrus and exhibit mate preferences for genetically compatible males, but the influence of female mate choice on siring success is not clearly understood. Whether females choose to mate with more than one male or endure forced copulations is also often unknown. Here, we exam...

Objective: The aims of this study were i) to compare the effects of different cryopreservation protocols on the functions of mouse epididymal spermatozoa and ii) to examine the effects of vitrification on IVF outcomes and embryo development using epididymal sperm Design: An F1 experimental mouse model was used to provide epididymal sperm samples an...

This study compared three cryopreservation protocols on sperm functions, IVF outcomes, and embryo development. Epididymal spermatozoa cryopreserved using slow‑cooling (18% w/v raffinose, RS‑C) were compared with spermatozoa vitrified using 0.25 M sucrose (SV) or 18% w/v raffinose (RV). The motility, vitality, and DNA damage (TUNEL assay) of fresh c...

Background Insufficient vas length for performing a tension-free vasovasostomy is a problem occasionally encountered by microsurgeons. Herein we evaluated utilization of a non-vascularized vas deferens autograft in a rat model. Methods Segments of isolated vas deferens, 2.5 cm in length, were used as bilateral autografts in 15 rats. Each autograft...

A state of collapse: does this improve blastocyst survival after vitrification? Sally Catt1 , Zuzanna Zejden2 , Malvika Khanna1 , Penny Chen1 , Mulyoto Pangestu1 , Peter Temple Smith1 1 Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Vic, Australia; 2 Division of Infertility a...

This study investigated the reproductive biology of a captive population of brush-tailed phascogales Phascogale tapoatafa. A ‘round robin’ mating system was established in which seven adult male animals were rotated through seven adult females. Changes in vaginal cytology and peripheral plasma progesterone and oestradiol levels were monitored to de...