ERI: understanding the fallopian tube's shape and physical environment to improve embryo culture for fertility treatment

The National Science Foundation Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation awarded San Francisco State University $200,000 on July 1, 2026, under the Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) program (CFDA 47.041) to investigate the fallopian tube's shape and physical environment to improve embryo culture for fertility treatment.

The project will create quantitative three-dimensional reconstructions of the inner passage of the human fallopian tube by processing nine micro computed tomography datasets, measuring path tortuosity, cross-sectional size and shape, minimum inscribed radius, and fold architecture across major anatomical regions. The work will also employ spherical probe atomic force microscopy on mouse oviduct tissue to characterize mechanical properties of the tissue. The research aims to establish a foundation for understanding how the fallopian tube's physical environment supports fertilization and early embryo development, with potential to advance embryo culture methods, reduce repeated treatment cycles, and decrease emotional and financial burden in infertility care.

The award supports research opportunities for undergraduate students and will generate open data, reusable three-dimensional models, and teaching materials for use by researchers, educators, and students nationwide. Performance occurs at San Francisco, California, with a period of performance from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028.

Abstract

This engineering research initiation (ERI) project investigates how the fallopian tube provides the physical environment that supports fertilization and the earliest stages of embryo development. Although embryo culture has improved through advances in chemical conditions, much less is known about the shape and mechanical behavior of the healthy fallopian tube, even though that environment guides transport, contact, and early development. As a result, widely used culture surfaces remain far simpler and far stiffer than living tissue. By establishing a rigorous foundation for this missing area of knowledge, the project will advance basic science while also informing use-inspired progress in reproductive health and biotechnology. The work aligns with national science foundation priorities by promoting the progress of science, advancing national health and welfare, and strengthening the science and engineering enterprise through open data, reusable models, and hands-on research training. In the long term, the results could support improved embryo culture, reduce repeated treatment cycles, and lessen the emotional and financial burden of infertility care. The project will also create research opportunities for undergraduate students and will share data and teaching materials that can be used by researchers, educators, and students across the nation. This ERI project has two integrated aims. First, IT will process nine human fallopian tube micro computed tomography datasets to create the first quantitative atlas and model-ready three-dimensional reconstructions of the inner passage of the fallopian tube. These reconstructions will measure path tortuosity, cross sectional size and shape, minimum inscribed radius, and fold architecture across major anatomical regions. Second, IT will use spherical probe atomic force microscopy on mouse oviduct tissue to measure time dependent and frequency dependent mechanical behavior at cellular depths, including elastic, viscoelastic, and poroelastic response. The work combines segmentation, mesh generation, centerline-based reslicing, quality control, and statistical analysis with indentation experiments designed to resolve properties that earlier shallow measurements could not capture. All datasets, analysis code, and geometric models will be released openly to support reuse in future computational modeling, biomechanics, and reproductive medicine studies. The expected contribution is a validated, scalable framework that links anatomy, tissue mechanics, and embryo culture design, thereby advancing mechanobiology, supporting future translational innovation, and building research capacity in an area of strong national importance. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.