Unlocking the Mystery of Naked Mole-Rats’ Exceptional Fertility
Miguel Brieño-Enríquez
Unlike humans and other mammals, which become less fertile with age, naked mole-rats can reproduce throughout their remarkably long lifespans. Miguel Brieño-Enríquez, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and an investigator at Magee-Womens Research Institute, is working with colleagues in the United States and Canada to study this unusual longevity. They’ve begun to demystify the processes that bestow the rodents with what seems like eternal fertility, findings that could eventually point to new therapies for humans.
“They’re the longest-lived rodent, almost never get cancer, don’t feel pain like other mammals, live in underground colonies, and only the queen can have babies.”
“The most amazing thing is that they never stop having babies. They don’t have a drop in fertility as they age. If we can figure out how they’re able to do this, we might be able to develop new drug targets or techniques to help human health,” he says. Even though humans are living longer, menopause still occurs at the same life stage, so his goal is to unlock the secrets to understanding how to protect ovary function later in life, prolong fertility, and improve overall health.