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Human sperm signals
Human studies suggest that a father’s history of trauma, stress, and other adverse life experiences can be associated with measurable changes in sperm microRNA profiles.
Sperm epigenetics • microRNA biology • reproductive diagnostics
Trauma may leave traces in sperm. We are building the test to measure them.
Protective Epigenetics is developing a sperm-based epigenetic diagnostic platform that measures microRNA patterns linked to a father’s lived experiences, including trauma and stress, and their potential relevance to offspring development and reproductive risk.
Founded by Larry Feig, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, and Rajendra Kumar-Singh, PhD, President and CEO — both professors at Tufts University School of Medicine.
In development: the Protective Epigenetics test is not available for sale and is not currently offered for clinical decision-making.
A father’s genome is not the whole story. The next frontier in sperm diagnostics is sperm-borne regulation.
Sperm carries more than DNA
Sperm delivers genetic code, but it also carries small regulatory molecules — including microRNAs — that may influence a future child’s development.
Category creation
The next frontier in sperm diagnostics is epigenetic regulation.
Standard sperm evaluation has focused on what sperm is: DNA sequence, infection status, semen quality, and donor history. Protective Epigenetics is focused on what sperm carries: regulatory signals that may reflect biological experience and influence offspring development.
This is not another conventional sperm test. It is an effort to build a new diagnostic layer for reproductive medicine — one that looks beyond DNA sequence and standard semen analysis.
What we are building
A sperm microRNA test for epigenetic risk signals.
Protective Epigenetics is developing a molecular test designed to measure a focused panel of sperm microRNAs. These small regulatory molecules may carry information about a father’s biological exposures and offspring development.
The long-term goal is to determine whether sperm epigenetic signals can help stratify reproductive risk beyond what genetic testing, infectious-disease screening, donor history, and semen analysis currently capture.
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Sperm sample
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RNA extraction
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microRNA panel
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Epigenetic signal profile
What it does
Designed to measure the molecular layer current sperm screening misses.
Measures sperm microRNA patterns
Focused molecular readouts from sperm-borne regulatory RNAs.
Detects trauma-associated signatures
Designed around emerging evidence that paternal adversity can be associated with sperm epigenetic changes.
Adds a new screening layer
Intended to complement, not replace, genetics, infectious-disease testing, donor history, and semen analysis.
Scientific foundation
The scientific signal is no longer easy to ignore.
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Functional biology
Model-system work supports the idea that sperm-borne small RNAs can influence developmental programs relevant to offspring and offspring phenotypes.
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Offspring relevance
Human neurodevelopmental studies suggest that parental adversity can be associated with offspring brain-development measures, highlighting the need for better biological tools.
Scientific founders
Built by academic scientists working at the edge of epigenetics, molecular biology, and translational medicine.
Larry Feig, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
Dr. Feig’s work informs the scientific foundation for trauma-associated sperm microRNA biology and the hypothesis that sperm-borne regulatory signals may influence offspring development.
Rajendra Kumar-Singh, PhD
President and CEO
Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
Dr. Kumar-Singh brings deep expertise in molecular biology, translational platform development, and diagnostic technology strategy.
Academic affiliations are provided for identification only. Protective Epigenetics is an independent startup; no institutional endorsement is implied.
DNA is sequence. Epigenetics is regulation.
Genetic screening reads the inherited code. Epigenetic testing asks a different question: what regulatory signals accompany that code, and what might they reveal about biological state?
Biology is not destiny. But biology can still be measured.
The goal is not to predict a child’s future mental health. The goal is to develop a reproducible way to measure sperm-borne molecular patterns that may be relevant to reproductive risk.
Why sperm epigenetics matters
A biologically plausible pathway from paternal experience to offspring development.
Paternal experience
Stress, trauma, and environmental exposures — sometimes described scientifically as paternal adversity — may be associated with molecular changes in sperm.
Sperm signals
Small RNAs, including microRNAs, are candidate carriers of regulatory information.
Offspring biology
Experimental models suggest sperm-borne RNAs can influence developmental programs relevant to offspring.
First application: sperm-bank screening
Donor sperm is already screened, purchased, and selected through a risk-reduction framework. That makes sperm banks the most practical first setting for validation, responsible implementation, and future adoption.
Future application: IVF and fertility care
As the platform is validated, sperm epigenetic screening may become relevant for IVF programs, fertility clinics, and couples seeking deeper biological information before conception.
Diagnostic development
What must be validated before clinical use.
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Assay lock
Finalize the marker panel, controls, sample handling procedure, and normalization strategy.
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Analytical validation
Measure reproducibility, sensitivity, stability, freeze-thaw performance, and laboratory variability.
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Clinical study design
Validate the signal in larger, independent sperm-sample cohorts with appropriate metadata and covariates.
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Responsible reporting
Develop clear report language that avoids deterministic claims and supports appropriate use.
Responsible boundaries
Bold science requires clear boundaries.
Not available for sale
The Protective Epigenetics test is in development and is not being offered commercially.
Not a PTSD diagnostic
The platform is not intended to diagnose trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, or any mental-health condition.
Not deterministic
The platform is not intended to predict a child’s future health or determine donor suitability on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Important context for donors, intended parents, and partners.
Can I buy the test today?
No. The Protective Epigenetics test is still in development and is not available for sale.
Does this diagnose trauma or PTSD?
No. The platform is not intended to diagnose trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, or any other mental-health condition.
Would the test quantify the odds of a child’s future mental health?
No. That is not the current claim. The platform is being developed to measure sperm epigenetic signal patterns and evaluate whether they can support future reproductive-risk screening related to offspring development.
Who might collaborate with Protective Epigenetics?
Potential collaborators include sperm banks, fertility clinics, reproductive-health researchers, diagnostics companies, strategic partners, and investors interested in responsible development of reproductive molecular testing.
Investors, strategics, sperm banks, IVF clinics, and research partners
Help build the next category in sperm diagnostics.
Led by Larry Feig, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, and Rajendra Kumar-Singh, PhD, President and CEO, Protective Epigenetics is open to conversations with investors, strategic partners, sperm banks, fertility clinics, research collaborators, and diagnostics organizations interested in advancing responsible sperm epigenetic testing.