A new study led by Chinese scientists has identified a key mechanism behind age-related decline in fertility and demonstrated a potential treatment.

The research, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, was conducted by a collaborative team led by Nankai University.

"We found that ribosomal dysfunction is a previously overlooked driver of poor egg quality. It's not just a problem of the oocyte itself; its surrounding cumulus cells undergo similar changes, and together they influence the developmental competence of the egg and embryo," said Li Jie, the paper's first author.

Abnormal translation of ribosomal genes occurs in both oocytes and cumulus cells in women in their mid-thirties, according to the paper. In oocytes, this excess ribosomal activity disrupts normal protein synthesis, leading to errors in chromosome separation and hindering embryo development. In cumulus cells, it impairs lysosome function and disrupts protein balance, thereby damaging the environment essential for egg maturation.

The team tested rapamycin, a drug known to inhibit ribosomal translation. Experiments showed that rapamycin effectively reduced ribosomal activity and restored protein balance, improving both egg quality and the ovarian environment.

In a clinical trial study, women who had previously experienced embryo development failure during assisted reproduction received short-term rapamycin treatment. This intervention helped them produce high-quality blastocysts, resulting in successful pregnancies and live births.

"The preliminary results are encouraging, opening a new avenue for understanding and treating age-related infertility," said Wu Xueqing from Shanxi Children's Hospital. "However, larger, multi-center clinical trials are needed to further verify the efficacy and optimize the treatment protocol."