Friday, 12 January 2024

Scientists Develop Non-Invasive Method to Predict Embryo Quality for IVF Success

Scientists Develop Method to Predict Embryo Quality

Scientists report that they have developed a method to better predict the quality of embryos created through in vitro fertilization, which they hope will make pregnancy easier.

New Non-Invasive Method

Academics based at UC San Diego have developed a new non-invasive method that can assess the quality of embryos grown in a laboratory.

Making IVF Easier

Nowadays, fertility doctors must carefully analyze embryos to choose the ones with the best chance of success. This can involve taking biopsies or evaluating them visually, both of which can be problematic. But the new technology, although still in its infancy, avoids interfering with the “delicate process.” Experts hope that it will eventually be “used directly to predict positive IVF outcomes, such as successful births.”

Genetic Material Analysis

Molecules of genetic material, known as exRNAs, are left in the Petri dishes used to grow eggs that have been fertilized in the laboratory. This allows scientists to examine them without relying on embryo biopsies or optical properties.

Hope for the Future

Study co-author Professor Irene Su, who specializes in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, said: “Unfortunately, IVF success still involves a large element of chance. But this is something we hope will change.” She continued: “Right now, the best way we have to predict embryo outcomes involves looking at embryos and measuring morphological characteristics or taking some cells from the embryo to look at genetic makeup, both of which have limitations. IVF is challenging enough, so it was very important for us not to “Our research intersects with this already delicate process.”

Promising Results

Scientists identified about 4,000 different exRNA molecules for each of the five different stages of fetal development. Using this set of molecules, they said, they were then able to measure the shape and structure of the fetus as precisely as more invasive tests.

Impressive Findings

Professor Xing Zhong, a bioengineering expert from the university’s School of Engineering, explained: “We were surprised by the number of exRNAs produced so early in embryonic development and how much of this activity we could detect using such a fine sample. This is the approach by which we can analyze a sample “From outside the cell and get an incredible amount of knowledge about what’s happening inside.”

Further Research Needed

Writing in the journal Cell Genomics, the scientists admitted that further research is vital to confirm whether their test can be used in real-world settings.

Source: Daily Mail

The post Scientists Develop Non-Invasive Method to Predict Embryo Quality for IVF Success appeared first on asumetech.



from Technology - asumetech https://asumetech.com/scientists-develop-non-invasive-method-to-predict-embryo-quality-for-ivf-success/

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