Lay summary
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the leading cause of anovulatory infertility. Although some treatments for symptoms exist, there is currently no cure and infertility remains an intractable problem for many PCOS sufferers. We propose to develop clinically translatable protocols for ovulation induction in infertile women with PCOS. Our approach will be to temporarily suppress pulsatile secretion of luteinising hormone, which is in excess in women with PCOS and causes reproductive dysfunction, in order to reset ovarian follicle development. We will achieve this by targeting kisspeptin or AgRP neuronal systems, which are known to modulate luteinising hormone pulses. Our experiments will utilise transgenic technologies and a preclinical rodent model of hyperandogenic PCOS. We will also test pharmacological compounds which are currently under development as therapeutic drugs, so our results should directly inform clinical translation. We will also evaluate long-term effects of these interventions on a wide range of PCOS symptoms.