Australian scientists use gene technology to improve IVF treatment

May 15 2008

Research by a team of Australian scientists promises to improve the fertility treatment in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

The team from Monash University in Melbourne have used sophisticated genetic amplification techniques to identify which test-tube embryos are most likely to be successfully implanted to produce a healthy baby.

At present it is not possible to distinguish which embryos are likely to develop into successful pregnancies and because of this most couples decide to have more than one embryo implanted in order to increase the chances of a pregnancy. This can result in multiple pregnancies that can be dangerous to both the mother and the babies.

Dr. Gayle Jones, co-author and senior research scientist at the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, says currently embryos are chosen on the basis of appearance, shape and regularity.

Dr. Gayle Jones says by increasing the predictive value by just 20 percent far more people will be encouraged to accept a single embryo transfer.

For the research the team took "DNA fingerprints" by removing 8 to 20 cells from a cell layer of the embryos known as the trophectoderm, five days after they were fertilised.

They were taken from 48 women in Greece undergoing IVF; at this stage the embryo is known as a blastocyst which is when they are implanted in the women's womb.

All the women in the study had at least one of their blastocysts transferred to their womb.

Of the group, 25 eventually became pregnant and 37 babies were born and the scientists compared the DNA fingerprints with blood taken from the umbilical cord or swabs of cheek cells of the babies that were born.

It was revealed that they all contained genes that were involved in cell adhesion, cell communication, cellular metabolic processes and response to stimuli.

Dr. Jones says it may be possible to narrow the gene set down to between 5 and 10 which will give a much better prediction of an embryo's viability and ability to develop to a full-term pregnancy.

The researchers say to be able to select the single most viable embryo available for transfer will revolutionise the practice of IVF, and could end the need to transfer more than one embryo into a woman's womb to ensure success.

This will not only improve pregnancy rates but will also eliminate multiple pregnancies and the complications they bring.

Experts say the golden rule for all practitioners is one embryo, one baby.

The study appears in the journal Human Reproduction.