Sydney IVF technology gives new hope to couples who suffer miscarriage

In a world first, Sydney IVF confirms it has developed a new technological application that increases the chances of a having a baby, for women who are at a high risk of miscarriage.

The aim is to reduce the heartbreak couples experience with miscarriage. Miscarriage is often due to abnormal chromosomes, which are ten times more common with patients seeking  IVF and can result in miscarriage even before a woman  realises she is pregnant.

The Sydney IVF study published this month in Molecular Human Reproduction Journal reveals the breakthrough embryo screening technique which uses advanced PGD technology developed by the team at Sydney IVF. The new technology optimises existing PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis), screening tests applied prior to IVF implantation for patients who previously had abnormal chromosomes identified (referred to as translocated chromosomes) that are associated with miscarriage risk.

Sydney IVF, Scientific Director, Steven McArthur, says “The technology enables more healthy embryos to be identified prior to implantation and ultimately increases the chance of a successful full-term pregnancy for these patients.”

Through the use of the new molecular PGD technology, couples can choose to have their embryos tested before they are implanted; meaning only embryos without chromosome abnormalities would be selected, and therefore more likely to result in pregnancy.

Embryos with a chromosome translocation, which may be inherited from parents, are genetically abnormal and lead to a reduction in IVF treatment success. Chromosome translocations are ten times more common with patients seeking IVF and Sydney IVF offers patients routine screening to detect the presence of these chromosome changes. This breakthrough application is then used to increase the chances of successful treatment by delivering improved interpretation of abnormalities in embryos and increasing the number of healthy embryos available for transfer. The technology also enables testing for additional inherited diseases.

The innovative screening technique surpasses previous technology which relied on human accuracy and a trained eye to identify the abnormalities and scientists are able to now identify non-viable embryos more quickly and accurately than ever before.

“When conducting a biopsy of an embryo you only have one shot at achieving results. By using molecular PGD technology the number of analysed embryos available for transfer has almost doubled, from 24% to 42% due to better detection. Essentially, this technology looks beyond the microscope, at the level of DNA and gives scientists more information to analyse before making a final decision on embryo choice,” comments Mr McArthur.

PGD is generally recommended for couples who are affected by, carry a known genetic disease or have had recurrent miscarriages. Molecular PGD technology (for couples affected by translocations) is currently being offered at Sydney IVF and to date over 75 IVF cycles have taken place applying this new technological application.

Facts

• Chromosomal rearrangements are a relatively common genetic variation found in approximately 1 in 380 newborns. Reciprocal translocations occur in approximately 1 in 625 live births. Robertsonian translocations occur in approximately 1 in 900 live births.
• The use of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) methods is a new and more accurate way of looking for chromosome translocations in human embryos, and surpasses FISH (Flurorescent in situ hybridisation).
• Sydney IVF has developed tests for more than 150 inherited diseases. Most diseases can have a specific test developed. For a current list of the tested diseases visit:
• http://www.sydneyivf.com/PGDIVFforgeneticdisorders/PGDforinheriteddisease/tabid/368/Default.aspx
• At Sydney IVF advanced embryo culture techniques are conducted at day five or six, when the embryo has a hundred or more cells and only three or four are removed at a time but not from the blastocyst.
• Sydney IVF scientists can select cells from the trophectoderm, the part of the embryo that will go on to form the placenta. The inner cell mass, the part that could become the baby, is not touched.

Ref. A molecular strategy for routine preimplantation genetic diagnosis in both reciprocal and Robertsonian translocation carriers, published on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, 2010