Research by Dr Dagan Wells and his team at Oxford University has revealed new methods of screening for genetic abnormalities in embryos, which could enable doctors to implant only the embryos with a better chance of being carried to term.
In addition to checking for chromosome abnormalities via array CGH, the team’s new test includes two extra checks. One involves counting mitochondria, and the other test checks telomeres in the cells. Defects in these two structures could potentially cause failed pregnancies.
The array CGH process is currently available at 15 British fertility clinics and adds around £2000 to the cost of IVF; the new ‘3-in-1’ test is currently being assessed in a randomised controlled trial, and if data collected in the next year backs up the team’s findings, it could be made widely available in British clinics for a similar cost.
“If data holds up then there could be a pretty compelling argument to apply this to all patients undergoing IVF,” Dr Wells told Cherwell.
Tony Rutherford, chairman of the British Fertility Society, explained how this “exciting” new technique takes the molecular assessment of embryos to a “new level”; and, although some further assessment will be needed, he praised the potential benefits for “patients, clinics and the health service overall”.
Currently only 24% of IVF cycles in Britain lead to a live birth.
