Kenneth I. Aston
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Kenneth I. Aston, PhD

Languages spoken: English

  • Ki Aston completed his Ph.D. at Utah State University in 2007. For his dissertation research he evaluated factors associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer efficiency and nuclear reprogramming. He was involved in bovine nuclear transfer and was part of the first group to successfully clone an equine species. Upon completion of his graduate training, Ki joined the Andrology team at the University of Utah as a Post Doctoral Fellow in 2007, and in 2011 he received a faculty appointment with the Division of Urology. His research efforts here have focused on identifying genetic and epigenetic factors associated with male infertility. In addition, Ki is actively involved in expanding fertility preservation options at the University of Utah. In his free time, Ki loves spending time with his wife and four young children and enjoys almost any form of outdoor recreation.

    Specialties

    Board Certification

    American Board of Bioanalysis

  • Ki Aston completed his Ph.D. at Utah State University in 2007. For his dissertation research he evaluated factors associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer efficiency and nuclear reprogramming. He was involved in bovine nuclear transfer and was part of the first group to successfully clone an equine species. Upon completion of his graduate training, Ki joined the Andrology team at the University of Utah as a Post Doctoral Fellow in 2007, and in 2011 he received a faculty appointment with the Division of Urology. His research efforts here have focused on identifying genetic and epigenetic factors associated with male infertility. In addition, Ki is actively involved in expanding fertility preservation options at the University of Utah. In his free time, Ki loves spending time with his wife and four young children and enjoys almost any form of outdoor recreation.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Surgery -Primary
    Obstetrics & Gynecology -Adjunct
    Academic Divisions Urology
    Board Certification
    American Board of Bioanalysis

    Education history

    Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Utah, Andrology and IVF Laboratories Postdoctoral Fellow
    Animal Science: Reproductive Physiology - Utah State University Ph.D.
    Undergraduate Biology, minors in Chemistry and Spanish - Utah State University B.S.
    Undergraduate Biology, minors in Chemistry and Spanish - Utah State University

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Miranda Furtado CL, Hansen M, Kogure GS, Ribeiro VB, Taylor N, Racy Soares M, Ferriani RA, Aston KI, Jenkins T, Dos Reis RM (2024). Resistance and aerobic training increases genome-wide DNA methylation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Epigenetics, 19(1), 2305082. (Read full article)
    2. Lillepea K, Juchnewitsch AG, Kasak L, Valkna A, Dutta A, Pomm K, Poolamets O, Nagirnaja L, Tamp E, Mahyari E, Vihljajev V, Tjagur S, Papadimitriou S, Riera-Escamilla A, Versbraegen N, Farnetani G, Castillo-Madeen H, Stt M, Kbarsepp V, Tennisberg S, Korrovits P, Krausz C, Aston KI, Lenaerts T, Conrad DF, Punab M, Laan M (2024). Toward clinical exomes in diagnostics and management of male infertility. Am J Hum Genet, 111(5), 877-895. (Read full article)
    3. Juchnewitsch AG, Pomm K, Dutta A, Tamp E, Valkna A, Lillepea K, Mahyari E, Tjagur S, Belova G, Kbarsepp V, Castillo-Madeen H, Riera-Escamilla A, Plluaas L, Nagirnaja L, Poolamets O, Vihljajev V, Stt M, Versbraegen N, Papadimitriou S, McLachlan RI, Jarvi KA, Schlegel PN, Tennisberg S, Korrovits P, Vigh-Conrad K, OBryan MK, Aston KI, Lenaerts T, Conrad DF, Kasak L, Punab M, Laan M (2024). Undiagnosed RASopathies in infertile men. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 15, 1312357. (Read full article)
    4. Mahyari E, Vigh-Conrad KA, Daube C, Lima AC, Guo J, Carrell DT, Hotaling JM, Aston KI, Conrad DF (2024). The human infertility single-cell testis atlas (HISTA): an interactive molecular scRNA-Seq reference of the human testis. Andrology. (Read full article)
    5. Ramsay JM, Madsen MJ, Horns JJ, Hanson HA, Camp NJ, Emery BR, Aston KI, Ferlic E, Hotaling JM (2023). Describing patterns of familial cancer risk in subfertile men using population pedigree data. Hum Reprod, 39(4), 822-833. (Read full article)
    6. Zoch A, Konieczny G, Auchynnikava T, Stallmeyer B, Rotte N, Heep M, Berrens RV, Schito M, Kabayama Y, Schpp T, Kliesch S, Houston B, Nagirnaja L, OBryan MK, Aston KI, Conrad DF, Rappsilber J, Allshire RC, Cook AG, Tttelmann F, OCarroll D (2024). C19ORF84 connects piRNA and DNA methylation machineries to defend the mammalian germ line. Mol Cell, 84(6), 1021-1035.e11. (Read full article)
    7. Stirland I, Soares MR, Furtado CLM, Dos Reis RM, Aston KI, Smith RP, Jenkins TG (2023). An assessment of alterations to human sperm methylation patterns in coronavirus disease 2019 infected and healthy control males. F S Sci. (Read full article)
    8. Miller RH, DeVilbiss EA, Brogaard KR, Norton CR, Pollard CA, Emery BR, Aston KI, Hotaling JM, Jenkins TG (2023). Epigenetic determinants of reproductive potential augment the predictive ability of the semen analysis. F S Sci, 4(4), 279-285. (Read full article)
    9. de Sena Brandine G, Aston KI, Jenkins TG, Smith AD (2023). Global effects of identity and aging on the human sperm methylome. Clin Epigenetics, 15(1), 127. (Read full article)
    10. Miller RH, Pollard CA, Brogaard KR, Olson AC, Barney RC, Lipshultz LI, Johnstone EB, Ibrahim YO, Hotaling JM, Schisterman EF, Mumford SL, Aston KI, Jenkins TG (2023). Tissue-specific DNA methylation variability and its potential clinical value. Front Genet, 14, 1125967. (Read full article)
    11. Ramsay JM, Fendereski K, Horns JJ, VanDerslice JA, Hanson HA, Emery BR, Halpern JA, Aston KI, Ferlic E, Hotaling JM (2023). Environmental exposure to industrial air pollution is associated with decreased male fertility. Fertil Steril, 120(3 Pt 2), 637-647. (Read full article)
    12. Dicke AK, Pilatz A, Wyrwoll MJ, Punab M, Ruckert C, Nagirnaja L, Aston KI, Conrad DF, Di Persio S, Neuhaus N, Fietz D, Laan M, Stallmeyer B, Tttelmann F (2023). DDX3Y is likely the key spermatogenic factor in the AZFa region that contributes to human non-obstructive azoospermia. Commun Biol, 6(1), 350. (Read full article)
    13. Nagirnaja L, Lopes AM, Charng WL, Miller B, Stakaitis R, Golubickaite I, Stendahl A, Luan T, Friedrich C, Mahyari E, Fadial E, Kasak L, Vigh-Conrad K, Oud MS, Xavier MJ, Cheers SR, James ER, Guo J, Jenkins TG, Riera-Escamilla A, Barros A, Carvalho F, Fernandes S, Gonalves J, Gurnett CA, Jrgensen N, Jezek D, Jungheim ES, Kliesch S, McLachlan RI, Omurtag KR, Pilatz A, Sandlow JI, Smith J, Eisenberg ML, Hotaling JM, Jarvi KA, Punab M, Rajpert-De Meyts E, Carrell DT, Krausz C, Laan M, OBryan MK, Schlegel PN, Tttelmann F, Veltman JA, Almstrup K, Aston KI, Conrad DF (2022). Diverse monogenic subforms of human spermatogenic failure. Nat Commun, 13(1), 7953. (Read full article)
    14. Patel DP, Cheng PJ, Hanson HA, Smith KR, Aston KI, Pastuszak AW, Hotaling JM (2022). Seasonal variation in semen quality is not associated with fecundity in the Utah Population Database. Andrologia, 54(9), e14515. (Read full article)
    15. Houston BJ, Lopes AM, Laan M, Nagirnaja L, OConnor AE, Merriner DJ, Nguyen J, Punab M, Riera-Escamilla A, Krausz C, Aston KI, Conrad DF, OBryan MK (2022). DDB1- and CUL4-associated factor 12-like protein 1 (Dcaf12l1) is not essential for male fertility in mice. Dev Biol, 490, 66-72. (Read full article)
    16. Cauchi LM, Houston BJ, Nagirnaja L, OConnor AE, Merriner DJ, Aston KI, Schlegel PN, Conrad DF, Burke R, OBryan MK (2022). Zinc finger RNA binding protein 2 (ZFR2) is not required for male fertility in the mouse. Dev Biol, 489, 55-61. (Read full article)
    17. Riera-Escamilla A, Vockel M, Nagirnaja L, Xavier MJ, Carbonell A, Moreno-Mendoza D, Pybus M, Farnetani G, Rosta V, Cioppi F, Friedrich C, Oud MS, van der Heijden GW, Soave A, Diemer T, Ars E, Snchez-Curbelo J, Kliesch S, OBryan MK, Ruiz-Castae E, GEMINI Consortium, Azorn F, Veltman JA, Aston KI, Conrad DF, Tttelmann F, Krausz C (2022). Large-scale analyses of the X chromosome in 2,354 infertile men discover recurrently affected genes associated with spermatogenic failure. Am J Hum Genet, 109(8), 1458-1471. (Read full article)
    18. Garg D, Hodgman M, Reil S, Lomo L, Aston KI, Hill J, Johnstone E, Jenkins T, Letourneau JM (2022). Effect of chemotherapy on the uterus of young adult cancer survivors. F S Rep, 3(3), 198-203. (Read full article)
    19. Kasak L, Lillepea K, Nagirnaja L, Aston KI, Schlegel PN, Gonalves J, Carvalho F, Moreno-Mendoza D, Almstrup K, Eisenberg ML, Jarvi KA, OBryan MK, Lopes AM, Conrad DF, GEMINI Consortium, Punab M, Laan M (2022). Actionable secondary findings following exome sequencing of 836 non-obstructive azoospermia cases and their value in patient management. Hum Reprod. (Read full article)
    20. Nie X, Munyoki SK, Sukhwani M, Schmid N, Missel A, Emery BR, DonorConnect, Stukenborg JB, Mayerhofer A, Orwig KE, Aston KI, Hotaling JM, Cairns BR, Guo J (2022). Single-cell analysis of human testis aging and correlation with elevated body mass index. Dev Cell, 57(9), 1160-1176.e5. (Read full article)
    21. Kavoussi PK, Machen GL, Chen SH, Gilkey MS, Chen J, Hamzeh Y, Aston KI, Kavoussi SK (2022). Direct conversion from long-acting testosterone replacement therapy to Natesto allows for spermatogenesis resumption: Proof of concept. Andrologia, e14453. (Read full article)
    22. Mahyari E, Guo J, Lima AC, Lewinsohn DP, Stendahl AM, Vigh-Conrad KA, Nie X, Nagirnaja L, Rockweiler NB, Carrell DT, Hotaling JM, Aston KI, Conrad DF (2021). Comparative single-cell analysis of biopsies clarifies pathogenic mechanisms in Klinefelter syndrome. Am J Hum Genet, 108(10), 1924-1945. (Read full article)
    23. Houston BJ, Nagirnaja L, Merriner DJ, OConnor AE, Okuda H, Omurtag K, Smith C, Aston KI, Conrad DF, OBryan MK (2021). The Sertoli cell expressed gene secernin-1 (Scrn1) is dispensable for male fertility in the mouse. Dev Dyn, 250(7), 922-931. (Read full article)
    24. Feng H, Jafek A, Samuel R, Hotaling J, Jenkins TG, Aston KI, Gale BK (2021). High efficiency rare sperm separation from biopsy samples in an inertial focusing device. Analyst, 146(10), 3368-3377. (Read full article)
    25. Ribas-Maynou J, Yeste M, Becerra-Toms N, Aston KI, James ER, Salas-Huetos A (2021). Clinical implications of sperm DNA damage in IVF and ICSI: updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc, 96, 1284-1300. (Read full article)
    26. Salas-Huetos A, Aston KI (2021). Defining new genetic etiologies of male infertility: progress and future prospects. Transl Androl Urol, 10(3), 1486-1498. (Read full article)
    27. Xavier MJ, Salas-Huetos A, Oud MS, Aston KI, Veltman JA (2020). Disease gene discovery in male infertility: past, present and future. Hum Genet, 140(1), 7-19. (Read full article)
    28. Salas-Huetos A, Maghsoumi-Norouzabad L, James ER, Carrell DT, Aston KI, Jenkins TG, Becerra-Toms N, Javid AZ, Abed R, Torres PJ, Luque EM, Ramrez ND, Martini AC, Salas-Salvad J (2020). Male adiposity, sperm parameters and reproductive hormones: An updated systematic review and collaborative meta-analysis. Obes Rev, 22(1), e13082. (Read full article)
    29. Salas-Huetos A, James ER, Salas-Salvad J, Bull M, Aston KI, Carrell DT, Jenkins TG (2020). Sperm DNA methylation changes after short-term nut supplementation in healthy men consuming a Western-style diet. Andrology, 9(1), 260-268. (Read full article)
    30. Salas-Huetos A, Tttelmann F, Wyrwoll MJ, Kliesch S, Lopes AM, Goncalves J, Boyden SE, Wste M, Hotaling JM, GEMINI Consortium, Nagirnaja L, Conrad DF, Carrell DT, Aston KI (2020). Disruption of human meiotic telomere complex genes TERB1, TERB2 and MAJIN in men with non-obstructive azoospermia. Hum Genet, 140(1), 217-227. (Read full article)
    31. Krausz C, Riera-Escamilla A, Moreno-Mendoza D, Holleman K, Cioppi F, Algaba F, Pybus M, Friedrich C, Wyrwoll MJ, Casamonti E, Pietroforte S, Nagirnaja L, Lopes AM, Kliesch S, Pilatz A, Carrell DT, Conrad DF, Ars E, Ruiz-Casta E, Aston KI, Baarends WM, Tttelmann F (2020). Genetic dissection of spermatogenic arrest through exome analysis: clinical implications for the management of azoospermic men. Genet Med, 22(12), 1956-1966. (Read full article)
    32. Santana VP, James ER, Miranda-Furtado CL, Souza MF, Pompeu CP, Esteves SC, Carrell DT, Aston KI, Jenkins TG, Reis RMD (2020). Differential DNA methylation pattern and sperm quality in men with varicocele. Fertil Steril, 114(4), 770-778. (Read full article)
    33. Salas-Huetos A, James ER, Broberg DS, Aston KI, Carrell DT, Jenkins TG (2020). The combined effect of obesity and aging on human sperm DNA methylation signatures: inclusion of BMI in the paternal germ line age prediction model. Sci Rep, 10(1), 15409. (Read full article)
    34. Wyrwoll MJ, Temel G, Nagirnaja L, Oud MS, Lopes AM, van der Heijden GW, Heald JS, Rotte N, Wistuba J, Wste M, Ledig S, Krenz H, Smits RM, Carvalho F, Gonalves J, Fietz D, Trkgen B, Ergren MC, etinkaya M, Baar M, Kahraman S, McEleny K, Xavier MJ, Turner H, Pilatz A, Rpke A, Dugas M, Kliesch S, Neuhaus N, GEMINI Consortium, Aston KI, Conrad DF, Veltman JA, Friedrich C, Tttelmann F (2020). Bi-allelic Mutations in M1AP Are a Frequent Cause of Meiotic Arrest and Severely Impaired Spermatogenesis Leading to Male Infertility. Am J Hum Genet, 107(2), 342-351. (Read full article)
    35. James ER, Carrell DT, Aston KI, Jenkins TG, Yeste M, Salas-Huetos A (2020). The Role of the Epididymis and the Contribution of Epididymosomes to Mammalian Reproduction. Int J Mol Sci, 21(15). (Read full article)
    36. Murphy PJ, Guo J, Jenkins TG, James ER, Hoidal JR, Huecksteadt T, Broberg DS, Hotaling JM, Alonso DF, Carrell DT, Cairns BR, Aston KI (2020). NRF2 loss recapitulates heritable impacts of paternal cigarette smoke exposure. PLoS Genet, 16(6), e1008756. (Read full article)
    37. Patel DP, Jenkins TG, Aston KI, Guo J, Pastuszak AW, Hanson HA, Hotaling JM (2020). Harnessing the full potential of reproductive genetics and epigenetics for male infertility in the era of "big data". Fertil Steril, 113(3), 478-488. (Read full article)
    38. Mangum CL, Patel DP, Jafek AR, Samuel R, Jenkins TG, Aston KI, Gale BK, Hotaling JM (2020). Towards a better testicular sperm extraction: novel sperm sorting technologies for non-motile sperm extracted by microdissection TESE. Transl Androl Urol, 9(Suppl 2), S206-S214. (Read full article)
    39. Salas-Huetos A, James ER, Aston KI, Carrell DT, Jenkins TG, Yeste M (2019). The role of miRNAs in male human reproduction: a systematic review. Andrology, 8(1), 7-26. (Read full article)
    40. Jenkins TG, James ER, Aston KI, Salas-Huetos A, Pastuszak AW, Smith KR, Hanson HA, Hotaling JM, Carrell DT (2019). Age-associated sperm DNA methylation patterns do not directly persist trans-generationally. Epigenetics Chromatin, 12(1), 74. (Read full article)
    41. Salas-Huetos A, James ER, Aston KI, Jenkins TG, Carrell DT, Yeste M (2019). The Expression of miRNAs in Human Ovaries, Oocytes, Extracellular Vesicles, and Early Embryos: A Systematic Review. Cells, 8(12). (Read full article)
    42. Verweij RM, Mills MC, Stulp G, Nolte IM, Barban N, Tropf FC, Carrell DT, Aston KI, Zondervan KT, Rahmioglu N, Dalgaard M, Skaarup C, Hayes MG, Dunaif A, Guo G, Snieder H (2019). Using Polygenic Scores in Social Science Research: Unraveling Childlessness. Front Sociol, 4, 74. (Read full article)
    43. Lee AS, Rusch J, Lima AC, Usmani A, Huang N, Lepamets M, Vigh-Conrad KA, Worthington RE, Mgi R, Wu X, Aston KI, Atkinson JP, Carrell DT, Hess RA, OBryan MK, Conrad DF (2019). Rare mutations in the complement regulatory gene CSMD1 are associated with male and female infertility. Nat Commun, 10(1), 4626. (Read full article)
    44. Salas-Huetos A, James ER, Aston KI, Jenkins TG, Carrell DT (2019). Diet and sperm quality: Nutrients, foods and dietary patterns. Reprod Biol, 19(3), 219-224. (Read full article)
    45. Aston KI (2014). Genetic susceptibility to male infertility: news from genome-wide association studies. Andrology, 2(3), 315-21. (Read full article)
    46. Aston KI, Hunt SC, Susser E, Kimura M, Factor-Litvak P, Carrell D, Aviv A (2012). Divergence of sperm and leukocyte age-dependent telomere dynamics: implications for male-driven evolution of telomere length in humans. Mol Hum Reprod, 18(11), 517-22. (Read full article)
    47. Aston KI, Punj V, Liu L, Carrell DT (2012). Genome-wide sperm deoxyribonucleic acid methylation is altered in some men with abnormal chromatin packaging or poor in vitro fertilization embryogenesis. Fertil Steril, 97(2), 285-92. (Read full article)
    48. Carrell DT, Aston KI (2011). Sperm genetic testing: clinical implications and use. 30, 129-136.
    49. Aston KI, Krausz C, Laface I, Ruiz-Castane E, Carrell DT (2010). Evaluation of 172 candidate polymorphisms for association with oligozoospermia or azoospermia in a large cohort of men of European descent. Hum Reprod, 25(6), 1383-97. (Read full article)
    50. Aston KI, Carrell DT (2009). Genome-wide study of single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia. J Androl, 30(6), 711-25. (Read full article)

    Review

    1. Wyrwoll MJ, van der Heijden GW, Krausz C, Aston KI, Kliesch S, McLachlan R, Ramos L, Conrad DF, OBryan MK, Veltman JA, Tttelmann F (2023). Improved phenotypic classification of male infertility to promote discovery of genetic causes. [Review]. Nat Rev Urol. (Read full article)
    2. Houston BJ, Riera-Escamilla A, Wyrwoll MJ, Salas-Huetos A, Xavier MJ, Nagirnaja L, Friedrich C, Conrad DF, Aston KI, Krausz C, Tttelmann F, OBryan MK, Veltman JA, Oud MS (2021). A systematic review of the validated monogenic causes of human male infertility: 2020 update and a discussion of emerging gene-disease relationships. [Review]. Hum Reprod Update, 28(1), 15-29. (Read full article)

    Book Chapter

    1. Aston KI, Conrad DF (2013). A review of genome-wide approaches to study the genetic basis for spermatogenic defects. In Methods Mol Biol (927, pp. 397-410). United States. (Read full article)

    Editorial

    1. Kunisaki J, Quinlan A, Aston KI, Hotaling J (2022). Integrating Precision Medicine into the Standard of Care for Male Infertility: What Will it Take? Eur Urol, 82(4), 339-340. (Read full article)

    Letter

    1. Oud MS, Volozonoka L, Friedrich C, Kliesch S, Nagirnaja L, Gilissen C, OBryan MK, McLachlan RI, Aston KI, Tttelmann F, Conrad DF, Veltman JA (2019). Lack of evidence for a role of PIWIL1 variants in human male infertility. [Letter to the editor]. Cell, 184(8), 1941-1942. (Read full article)

    Other

    1. Houston BJ, OConnor AE, Wang D, Goodchild G, Merriner DJ, Luan H, Conrad DF, Nagirnaja L, Aston KI, Kliesch S, Wyrwoll MJ, Friedrich C, Tttelmann F, Harrison C, OBryan MK, Walton K (2021). Human INHBB Gene Variant (c.1079T>C:p.Met360Thr) Alters Testis Germ Cell Content, but Does Not Impact Fertility in Mice. Endocrinology (163(3)). United States. (Read full article)
    2. Oud MS, Smits RM, Smith HE, Mastrorosa FK, Holt GS, Houston BJ, de Vries PF, Alobaidi BKS, Batty LE, Ismail H, Greenwood J, Sheth H, Mikulasova A, Astuti GDN, Gilissen C, McEleny K, Turner H, Coxhead J, Cockell S, Braat DDM, Fleischer K, DHauwers KWM, Schaafsma E, Genetics of Male Infertility Initiative GEMINI consortium, Nagirnaja L, Conrad DF, Friedrich C, Kliesch S, Aston KI, Riera-Escamilla A, Krausz C, Gonzaga-Jauregui C, Santibanez-Koref M, Elliott DJ, Vissers LELM, Tttelmann F, OBryan MK, Ramos L, Xavier MJ, van der Heijden GW, Veltman JA (2022). A de novo paradigm for male infertility. Nat Commun (13(1), p. 154). England. (Read full article)
    3. Nagirnaja L, Mrup N, Nielsen JE, Stakaitis R, Golubickaite I, Oud MS, Winge SB, Carvalho F, Aston KI, Khani F, van der Heijden GW, Marques CJ, Skakkebaek NE, Rajpert-De Meyts E, Schlegel PN, Jrgensen N, Veltman JA, Lopes AM, Conrad DF, Almstrup K (2021). Variant PNLDC1, Defective piRNA Processing, and Azoospermia. N Engl J Med (385(8), pp. 707-719). United States. (Read full article)
    4. Salas-Huetos A, Tttelmann F, Wyrwoll MJ, Kliesch S, Lopes AM, Gonalves J, Boyden SE, Wste M, Hotaling JM, GEMINI Consortium, Nagirnaja L, Conrad DF, Carrell DT, Aston KI (2020). Correction to: Disruption of human meiotic telomere complex genes TERB1, TERB2 and MAJIN in men with non-obstructive azoospermia. Hum Genet (140(1), p. 229). Germany. (Read full article)