Objective
Successful conception requires timely embryo passage through the oviduct, yet the mechanical rules that govern this journey remain largely unmeasured. REPROMECH treats the oviduct as a deformable conduit and the embryo as viscoelastic cargo, and posits that transport succeeds only within a Physiological Operating Point (POP): a coordinated range of peristaltic frequency and amplitude, mucosal stiffness, viscosity and relaxation, and luminal rheology matched to embryo stiffness. Ageing and pathology displace the system toward an Aberrant Operating Point (AOP) that traps or prematurely releases embryos and undermines development. We will define the POP by quantifying oviduct mechanics in living mouse tissue and linking them to transport dynamics. Atomic force microscopy indentation and Brillouin microscopy, will map layer-resolved viscoelasticity in oviduct segments across stages. Video-imaging in an ex vivo oviduct culture that preserves contractility will measure deformation, residence time, and transport under controlled conditions. Embryo stiffness will be measured across stages and maternal age, and reproduced with mechanical analogues that isolate mechanics from biochemistry. Using these tools, we will test how mechanical mismatch between oviduct and cargo alters motion and whether pharmacological modulation can restore POP-like coordination. Outputs include: a cycle-resolved mechanical atlas of the oviduct, validated ex vivo testbeds for controlled perturbation, quantitative thresholds that predict failure points, and demonstration of mechanism-based rescue. By framing fertility as a mechanically balanced state that can be measured, displaced, and restored, REPROMECH will establish standards, datasets, and design rules for future translational studies. The framework may help identify patients at risk of tubal transport failure, guide when in vivo passage is unlikely, and suggest how to tune assisted reproduction and culture systems to emulate POP.
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Keywords
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-STG
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80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
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