ORPHA:529970
Male infertility due to acephalic spermatozoa
Also known as: Acephalic spermatozoa syndrome
Query health: suspect — Only one of 2 strategies returned hits (phrase).
Publications
107
66.8th percentile
Trials
0
Interventional, condition-specific
Researchers
592
Distinct authors in sample
Gene link
—
Readiness
2/6
Stages with a signal
How rare: How common this is has not been clearly measured.
Cross-references
Joined from Mondo / Orphanet. MeSH labels may enter searches; UMLS / OMIM / NCIT are stored for reference.
Research stages
Trial readiness signals
Where this condition sits on an open-data research pipeline — not how close a treatment is, and not medical advice. Empty stages often mean “not in these databases under this Mondo ID,” not “impossible.”
2/6 stages with a signal
No specific-condition interventional trial, but broader-category trials exist — discuss eligibility with a clinician.
- Gene identifiedNot found
No GenCC disease–gene assertion in this build
- LiteraturePresent
107 matched papers (103 in last 10 years) Source
- Phenotype characterisedNot checked
Not yet enriched from Monarch / HPO
- Animal modelNot checked
Not yet enriched from Monarch / Alliance
- Orphan designationNot checked
FDA/EMA orphan-drug designation not enriched yet
- Interventional trialPartial
None under the specific name; 105 for broader category male infertility
Biology
Genes and phenotypes
Gene–disease validity from GenCC, plus phenotypes and animal models joined from Monarch Initiative via Mondo ID — not a clinical diagnosis aid.
Do we know what causes it?
Not yet — the cause hasn't been pinned down in GenCC.
No strong gene–disease assertion joined for this Orphanet entity.
Phenotypes (Monarch / HPO)
Not enriched in this build — Monarch phenotype joins were not run for this record.
Animal models (Monarch / Alliance)
Not enriched in this build.
Literature
Is anyone studying this?
107
107 papers have ever been published on this condition (under this name). For scale, breast cancer has over 700,000. Median papers in the last 10 years for a rare disease in this dataset (publications denominator n=5449) is 41.
107 papers since the earliest indexed year in this search — median last-10-year count for a rare disease in this dataset is 41 (publications denominator n=5449).
103 in the last 10 years · high confidence · 66.8th percentile (publications denominator)
Phrase hits: 107 · MeSH hits: 0
Who's working on it?
592
Distinct author names in 107 sampled papers — named people below.
Who's working on it?
No interventional trial matched this name; these authors publish on it in the sampled literature — a practical starting point for contact.
- 01Zhang J12 papers · 2025
Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Papers in Europe PMC - 02Zhu F11 papers · 2025
Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, China. fxzhu@ahmu.edu.cn.
Papers in Europe PMC - 03Wang F10 papers · 2025
School of Life Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China. fengsongw@ahmu.edu.cn.
Papers in Europe PMC - 04Cao Y9 papers · 2025
Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Papers in Europe PMC - 05Li W9 papers · 2024
State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Innovation Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Papers in Europe PMC - 06Liu C9 papers · 2025
State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Innovation Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Papers in Europe PMC - 07Zhang Z9 papers · 2024
Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Papers in Europe PMC - 08Wang X8 papers · 2026
Center for Genetics, National Research Institute for Family Planning, Haidian, Beijing, 100081, China.
Papers in Europe PMC - 09Wang Y8 papers · 2025
Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, China.
Papers in Europe PMC - 10
Clinical research
Is a treatment being tested?
0
interventional trials for this specific condition
No interventional trial testing a treatment matched this specific condition name on ClinicalTrials.gov (observational studies and pan-disease registries are listed separately when present). 105 trials are registered for male infertility, the broader category — shown separately because they may or may not enrol this specific subtype.
Data as of 27 July 2026
No matched interventional trials. This is true for 73% of diseases in the trials denominator (5114 of 7003). Here are the researchers publishing on it.
high confidence · 36.5th percentile (trials denominator)
Recruiting interventional trials
From the matched ClinicalTrials.gov set
No interventional trial testing a treatment was found for this specific condition name on ClinicalTrials.gov.
105 interventional trials matched male infertility, the broader category — listed below. Those studies are not counted in the condition-specific total.
Broader category: male infertility
105
Interventional trials for the parent category, exclusive of NCT IDs already counted above. Eligibility for this subtype is not guaranteed.
Worth raising with a clinician. How we count trials.
Recruiting under the broader category
- NCT06956287·RECRUITING·The Efficiency of a New Sperm-Wash Device for Intrauterine Insemination in Couples With Infertility
Conditions: Infertility · Male Infertility·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07179120·NOT YET RECRUITING·Can Fat-Burning Shots Boost Fertility? Comparing Weight-Loss Injections vs. Healthy Habits for Obese Men With Low Sperm Health
Conditions: Obesity-related Male Infertility·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07684963·NOT YET RECRUITING·Effect of Varicocelectomy on Spermatogenic Cell Count and Semen Parameters
Conditions: Varicocele · Male Infertility · Infertility · Varicocelectomy·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07481370·ENROLLING BY INVITATION·Isotretinoin vs hCG for Male Infertility Due to Low or Absent Sperm
Conditions: Oligospermia · Azoospermia, Nonobstructive · Infertility·Matched via name phrase
- NCT06974175·NOT YET RECRUITING·Effect of Graminex on Infertility Related to Male Accessory Glands Inflammation
Conditions: Male Infertility · Prostatitis·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07523022·ENROLLING BY INVITATION·Comparison of the Effect of Gonadotropin and Clomiphene Citrate Treatment on Sperm Parameters and the Outcome of Assisted Reproductive Procedures in Subfertile Men Based on the APHRODITE Groups
Conditions: Male Infertility·Matched via name phrase
- NCT02641769·RECRUITING·Intra-Testicular Transplantation of Autologous Stem Cells for Treatment of Non-Obstructive Azoospermia Male Infertility.
Conditions: Non-obstructive Azoospermia·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07650955·RECRUITING·Single Infrapubic Versus Bilateral Subinguinal Microsurgical Varicocelectomy
Conditions: Bilateral Varicocele · Male Infertility·Matched via name phrase
- NCT06990906·NOT YET RECRUITING·Evaluating the Safety and Clinical Efficacy of the BAIBYS™ System in Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Conditions: Male Infertility, Azoospermia·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07605351·NOT YET RECRUITING·Selective Extended Venous Stripping Versus Standard Microsurgical Varicocelectomy for Varicocele-Related Male Infertility
Conditions: Varicocele · Male Infertility·Matched via name phrase
- NCT05479474·RECRUITING·Platelet Rich Plasma Testis Treatment for Infertile Men
Conditions: Male Infertility · Nonobstructive Azoospermia · Azoospermia·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07517952·NOT YET RECRUITING·Intratesticular Artery Resistive Index Changes After Varicocelectomy
Conditions: Varicocele · Male Infertility · Secondary Hypogonadism·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07337265·NOT YET RECRUITING·Royal Jelly Supplementation in Unexplained Male Infertility
Conditions: Unexplained Infertility · Male Infertility · Sperm DNA Fragmentation·Matched via name phrase
- NCT07605182·NOT YET RECRUITING·Effectiveness of Live Motile Sperm Sorting Device on IVF Outcomes in Advanced Paternal Age
Conditions: Male Infertility · Advanced Paternal Age · Assisted Reproductive Technology·Matched via name phrase
- NCT04959864·RECRUITING·Efficacy Study of a Food Supplement With Myo-inositol, N-Acetyl-Cystein, Zinc and Vitamins on Sperm DNA Fragmentation
Conditions: Male Infertility·Matched via name phrase
Where to find support
We do not yet link condition-specific patient organisations. These umbrella groups support undiagnosed and ultra-rare families:
India — NPRD
Last verified 2026-07-26This ORPHAcode is not on our curated NPRD list (direct or Mondo-parent match). That does not decide clinical eligibility; families in India should ask a notified Centre of Excellence about current coverage.
Hand-curated for this project. ORPHAcode mappings are best-effort and may be incomplete or imprecise for umbrella categories. Parent (Mondo) matches mean the policy lists a broader category — confirm eligibility with a Centre of Excellence. Financial entitlements summarised from public policy statements and may change. This is not official government guidance.
How we counted this
Europe PMC query (preferred label + any corrected label + Orphanet and Mondo exact synonyms, stoplisted; unioned with resolved MeSH labels when available). UMLS / OMIM / NCIT cross-references are stored on the overview but are not added to the query string.
"Male infertility due to acephalic spermatozoa" OR "Acephalic spermatozoa syndrome"
ClinicalTrials.gov query (quoted phrases + MeSH via query.cond, plus recall-expansion terms when used):
"Male infertility due to acephalic spermatozoa" OR "Acephalic spermatozoa syndrome" OR "infertility disorder"
Recall-expansion terms: infertility disorder
Study-type breakdown: 0 interventional · 0 observational · 0 expanded access. Only interventional studies enter the trial headline.
Parent-category trials query:
"male infertility"
Query health: suspect — strategies attempted: phrase, recall-expansion; with hits: phrase
Run this search on ClinicalTrials.gov
Confidence reasoning
- Preferred label is multi-word and distinctive
- No synonyms dropped by stoplist
- No label/synonym collisions with other diseases in this corpus
Ingested 2026-07-27T18:07:47.952Z
