{"id":2423,"date":"2026-01-13T13:16:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T13:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biomai.sk\/?p=2423"},"modified":"2026-01-13T13:24:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T13:24:59","slug":"slovenske-vedkyne-prelomili-tabu-odhalili-skryte-tajomstva-embryi-a-ziskali-prestiznu-cenu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biomai.sk\/en\/slovenske-vedkyne-prelomili-tabu-odhalili-skryte-tajomstva-embryi-a-ziskali-prestiznu-cenu\/","title":{"rendered":"Slovak Women Scientists Broke a Taboo: They Uncovered the Hidden Secrets of Embryos and Won a Prestigious Award!"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Three exceptional Slovak women \u2014 Prof. M\u00e1ria Marekov\u00e1, Prof. Miroslava Rabajdov\u00e1, and Assoc. Prof. Silvia Toporcerov\u00e1 \u2014 are pushing the boundaries of reproductive medicine in a way that sounds like science fiction. Their research can \u201cread\u201d an embryo even before it is transferred to the uterus, and it may significantly increase the success rate of assisted reproduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was precisely this discovery that earned the outstanding team at the Science and Technology Award 2025.<\/strong> In an interview for Madam EVA, they explain why even the most advanced technology can\u2019t replace humanity, patience, and women\u2019s courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The in vitro fertilization (IVF) process is becoming increasingly sophisticated and better understood\u2014thanks in part to our women and men scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your research focuses on identifying biomarkers of embryo quality that have the potential to increase the success rate of assisted reproduction. How could we translate that into plain, easy-to-understand language? \ud83d\ude42<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In general, biomarkers are defined as specific substances (e.g., enzymes, hormones) that are used as indicators of the body\u2019s condition, and thus provide information about a person\u2019s health. There is a wide range of substances used in medicine to assess an individual\u2019s health status; nevertheless, we are still looking for new ones that can provide information about changes in health as early as possible\u2014ideally even before the disease itself becomes clinically apparent. Standard procedures are used to assess embryo quality; we sought to make use of information contained in the culture medium in which the embryo develops. Put very simply, we were trying to better \u201cread the embryo\u2019s biological profile\u201d before doctors\u2014reproductive specialists\u2014place it into the uterus.<\/strong> Our reproductive, interdisciplinary team\u2014made up of physicians, reproductive specialists, biochemists, molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, and health psychologists\u2014continues to focus on comprehensive research into reproductive health through molecular, biochemical, and psychosocial approaches. We study the receptivity of the uterine lining and the processes by which it can be influenced, with the aim of increasing the success of infertility treatment. We also use artificial intelligence tools not only to process vast amounts of medical and laboratory data, but also to improve health literacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Team members of Prof. Ing. M\u00e1ria Marekov\u00e1, CSc.: Prof. RNDr. Miroslava Rabajdov\u00e1, PhD., and Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Silvia Toporcerov\u00e1, PhD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did anything surprise you during those more than 20 years of researching how to increase IVF success?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I look back on the last twenty years of using assisted reproduction methods\u2014where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the woman\u2019s body (IVF, in vitro fertilization)\u2014what surprises me most is how much our view of what actually determines success has changed.In the beginning, we relied mainly on what we could see under the microscope\u2014a morphologically \u201cnice-looking\u201d embryo had a higher chance of \u201cwinning\u201d the race to be transferred into the uterus. Today we know that a beautiful embryo does not necessarily have to be healthy, and that its true potential is hidden far beneath the surface. <\/strong>Over time, new technologies emerged that allowed us to literally monitor every minute of its division in the laboratory. These time-lapse monitoring systems showed that what matters is not only what the embryo looks like, but also how it behaves. Then genetics arrived and, for the first time, allowed us to look inside and say: this embryo has a chance; this one doesn\u2019t.\n\nIt was a major shift from estimation to real data. And along the way we realized something else, too: the embryo is not the only player. The uterus is not just a place where we \u201cput it,\u201d but an active organ that has to be ready at the right moment. Sometimes, that timing is what decides everything. If the endometrium doesn\u2019t respond to the right signals, even the very best embryo won\u2019t help.\n\nEverything around IVF has changed as well\u2014culture conditions, cryopreservation, stimulation protocols. Today, many aspects are gentler, more patient-friendly, and more precise. The entire IVF process has shifted from \u201clet\u2019s try it\u201d to \u201cwe understand what\u2019s happening both in the body and in the lab.\u201d And that is precisely why today we can help more effectively than we could twenty years ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Marekov\u00e1\u2019s team at the Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef \u0160af\u00e1rik University in Ko\u0161ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It still sounds exceptional and special\u2014to be a woman in science. Do you see it as a privilege as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, it\u2019s no longer such an exception or rarity as it was years ago\u2014there are quite a lot of women in science now, and many fields are described as \u201cover-feminized.\u201d Since Marie Curie Sk\u0142odowska became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in 1903, more than 65 women have been awarded this honor.\n\nFor us, it\u2019s a job like any other\u2014something we enjoy, where every day can bring something new, interesting, and exciting. But given the topic we study, it is above all a responsibility, and only then a privilege.\n\nA responsibility because we work in an area that is fundamentally connected to women\u2014their bodies, fertility, and the hope of becoming a mother. When you talk to patients after an unsuccessful IVF cycle, you see that it\u2019s not only a medical issue, but also one that affects a fragile psyche, a relationship, and sometimes years of disappointment. That is also why we are glad that at the table, alongside male scientists, there are also women who can bring empathy and a different perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n They are pushing the boundaries of reproductive medicine and received the prestigious Science and Technology Award 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The privilege is that we can be\u2014hopefully\u2014one of many female role models for young girls who love biochemistry and biology and often doubt themselves, even though they have no real reason to. Through awards such as L\u2019Or\u00e9al\u2013UNESCO \u201cFor Women in Science,\u201d Slovak Woman of the Year, and others, we try to show society that women belong in science and that their contribution is visible. And finally, we are ordinary women\u2014with families, responsibilities, fatigue, and doubts, too. We don\u2019t want to create the image of a \u201csuperwoman\u201d who manages everything.<\/strong> Rather, our message to readers is: if something truly interests you, you have not only the right, but almost a duty to pursue your dream\u2014regardless of whether it\u2019s science, entrepreneurship, art, or caring for a family. And if you choose science, we believe that the generation of women we belong to has made that path a little easier for you.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Slovensk\u00e9 vedkyne prelomili tabu: Odhalili skryt\u00e9 tajomstv\u00e1 embry\u00ed a z\u00edskali prest\u00ed\u017enu cenu! Tri mimoriadne Slovenky \u2013 prof. M\u00e1ria Marekov\u00e1, prof. Miroslava Rabajdov\u00e1 a doc. Silvia Toporcerov\u00e1 \u2013 pos\u00favaj\u00fa hranice reproduk\u010dnej medic\u00edny sp\u00f4sobom, ktor\u00fd znie ako sci-fi. Ich v\u00fdskum si „pre\u010d\u00edta\u201c embryo e\u0161te pred vlo\u017een\u00edm do maternice a m\u00f4\u017ee z\u00e1sadne zv\u00fd\u0161i\u0165 \u00faspe\u0161nos\u0165 umel\u00e9ho oplodnenia. Pr\u00e1ve za […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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Today, embryologists mainly assess what the embryo looks like on real-time camera imaging\u2014how it divides and develops to its final stage. We added a completely new source of information: small non-coding RNA molecules that the embryo \u201creleases\u201d into the culture medium in which it grows for several days. These small non-coding RNAs provide additional insights, thereby increasing the embryo\u2019s chances of successful implantation.\n\nBased on these findings, an international patent application was created: \u201cNon-invasive successfulness test of in vitro fertilization process\u201d\u2014a non-invasive test to predict IVF success. The patent protects a combination of specific molecules and a method for using them to predict which embryo should be prioritized. Since the patent claims were sold to a private investor, the investor is now continuing to further develop the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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