PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Discovery could improve in vitro fertilization success rates for women around the world

Scientists identify 'chromosomal fate' of embryos at earliest stage of human development

Discovery could improve in vitro fertilization success rates for women around the world
2015-07-07
(Press-News.org) PORTLAND, Ore. - Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, Stanford University, University of Valencia and IGENOMIX have discovered that chromosomal abnormalities in human embryos created for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, can be predicted within the first 30 hours of development at the cell-1 stage which results from the union of a female egg and male sperm.

This discovery, published online today in the journal Nature Communications, could improve IVF success rates, which has hovered around 30 to 35 percent for numerous years worldwide. It is estimated that between 50 to 80 percent of embryos created for IVF have a chromosomal abnormality and typically do not develop into a pregnancy, instead resulting in a miscarriage.

Key findings of this research, which was conducted by Shawn L. Chavez, Ph.D. and her colleagues at Stanford University and analyzed at OHSU, showed that by looking at the duration of the first mitotic phase - a short period in the cell cycle - one can identify chromosomally normal versus abnormal embryos up to approximately the 8-cell stage. Most importantly, by looking at a single cell level, researchers were able to correlate the chromosomal make-up of an embryo to a subset of 12 genes that are activated prior to the first cell division. These genes likely came from the gametes - the eggs or sperm - and can be used to predict whether an embryo is chromosomally normal or abnormal at the earliest stage of human development.

As a result of these findings, clinicians and embryologists can more quickly identify the healthiest embryo for implantation and reduce the amount of time an embryo is cultured in the laboratory prior to transfer. Embryos typically need to be implanted within three to five days of creation, which has created a challenge for the IVF field because chromosomal abnormalities may not be identified until day five or six.

"Many couples are choosing to have children later in life, and this trend is only going to continue," said Chavez, a co-author and assistant scientist in the Division of Reproductive and Developmental Sciences at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at OHSU, and assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Physiology and Pharmacology, in the OHSU School of Medicine. "A failed IVF attempt takes an emotional toll on a woman who is anticipating a pregnancy as well as a financial toll on families, with a single IVF treatment costing thousands and thousands of dollars per cycle. Our findings also bring hope to couples who are struggling to start a family and wish to avoid the selection and transfer of embryos with unknown or poor potential for implantation," explained Chavez.

This study builds upon previous research published by Stanford University School of Medicine (Nature Communications, Dec. 2012) in which Chavez was the lead author. In the previous study, Chavez and colleagues determined that the timing intervals of the first three mitotic cellular divisions, plus the presence or absence of cellular fragmentation - a phenomenon of unknown origins that is thought to be acellular debris and affects approximately 50 percent or more of IVF embryos - can be used to largely distinguish chromosomally normal and abnormal embryos by the 4-cell stage through time-lapse imaging analysis.

The current study took advantage of significant advances in both single-cell genetic profiling and noninvasive imaging, and is the first study to combine analysis of complete chromosomal constitution, high throughput single-cell gene expression and time-lapse imaging simultaneously in the same human embryo.

This research was conducted using 117 human zygotes originating from 19 couples, with an average maternal age of 33.7 ± 4.3 years. Researchers obtained this large set of human embryos from previous IVF cycles after written informed consent from the Stanford University RENEW Biobank. Through single cell gene expression profiling - the measurement of the activity of hundreds of genes at once - Chavez and colleagues identified a subset of developmentally relevant genes that are activated prior to the first cell division using computer-assisted mathematical modeling that can be used to predict whether the embryo is chromosomally normal or abnormal.

"With assisted reproduction at an all-time high, we want to help more families achieve successful pregnancies," said Chavez. "IVF has helped countless women all over the world, and we now have the technology and research to improve a couple's chances of having a biological child of their own. This discovery can potentially increase those chances."

It is still unclear what impact longer culture periods have on embryos and genetic abnormalities and requires further investigation. Researchers say future studies should also focus on the zygote as a potential source of non-invasive biomarkers that can prospectively predict chromosomal status and avoid potential detriment(s) of prolonged embryo culture.

INFORMATION:

The study was analyzed and written after Chavez joined OHSU in 2013. Chavez came to OHSU to continue her research with rhesus macaques, due to their shared characteristics of early embryo development and because banking human embryos at the zygote stage for research has been largely discontinued.

The study's first author is Maria Vera-Rodriguez, M.S., who was a visiting student researcher at Stanford University and senior author is Carlos Simón, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia, adjunct clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, and scientific director, Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad and IGENOMIX. Co-authors include: Chavez; Carmen Rubio, Ph.D., lab director, PGD Molecular Cytogenetics, IGENOMIX; and Renee A. Reijo Pera, Ph.D,, vice president of Research and Economic Development, Montana State University.

In the interest of ensuring the integrity of our research and as part of our commitment to public transparency, OHSU actively regulates, tracks and manages relationships that our researchers may hold with entities outside of OHSU. In regards to this research project, there are no known conflicts of interest.

This study was supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (Grant # RB3-­02209).

About OHSU Oregon Health & Science University is a nationally prominent research university and Oregon's only public academic health center. It serves patients throughout the region with a Level 1 trauma center and nationally recognized Doernbecher Children's Hospital. OHSU operates dental, medical, nursing and pharmacy schools that rank high both in research funding and in meeting the university's social mission. OHSU's Knight Cancer Institute helped pioneer personalized medicine through a discovery that identified how to shut down cells that enable cancer to grow without harming healthy ones. OHSU Brain Institute scientists are nationally recognized for discoveries that have led to a better understanding of Alzheimer's disease and new treatments for Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and stroke. OHSU's Casey Eye Institute is a global leader in ophthalmic imaging, and in clinical trials related to eye disease.


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Discovery could improve in vitro fertilization success rates for women around the world Discovery could improve in vitro fertilization success rates for women around the world 2 Discovery could improve in vitro fertilization success rates for women around the world 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scientists study ways to integrate biofuels and food crops on farms

Scientists study ways to integrate biofuels and food crops on farms
2015-07-07
We ask a lot of the land: feed the world with crops, power the world with bioenergy, retain nutrients so they don't pollute our water and air. To help landscapes answer these high demands, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory are designing ways to improve--and hopefully optimize--land use. In collaboration with the farming community of the Indian Creek Watershed in central Illinois, these researchers are finding ways to simultaneously meet three objectives: maximize a farmer's production, grow feedstock for bioenergy and protect ...

Pupil response predicts depression risk in kids

Pupil response predicts depression risk in kids
2015-07-07
How much a child's pupil dilates in response to seeing an emotional image can predict his or her risk of depression over the next two years, according to new research from Binghamton University. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/Wxn6WevWJdk According to Brandon Gibb, professor of psychology at Binghamton University and director of the Mood Disorders Institute and Center for Affective Science, the new findings suggest that physiological reactivity to sad stimuli, assessed using pupillometry, serves as one potential biomarker of depression risk among children of depressed mothers. ...

Extended-field IMRT does not increase duodenal toxicity risk

2015-07-07
Fairfax, Va., July 7, 2015--A study of women with cervical or endometrial cancer who require treatment to the para-aortic (PA) lymph nodes can safely receive extended-field intensity modulated radiation therapy (EF-IMRT) without increased risk of duodenal toxicity, according to a study published in the July-August 2015 issue of Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) journal focused on the clinical practice of radiation oncology. IMRT is one of the radiation therapy (RT) treatment options for cervical and endometrial ...

Molecule linked to muscle fatigue in humans; enhances exercise tolerance when fed to mice

Molecule linked to muscle fatigue in humans; enhances exercise tolerance when fed to mice
2015-07-07
Everyone's muscles have different limits. While professional athletes can train for hours before feeling fatigued, others struggle to mow the lawn or climb stairs. No panacea exists to create an equal playing field, nor will one likely be discovered, but a new study from Duke University questions whether this limit can be nutritionally extended. The research appears July 7 in Cell Metabolism as part of a special issue on "Physical Activity and Metabolic Health." The researchers began by identifying an enzyme in skeletal muscle that helps to enhance how much moderate or ...

Nutritional supplement boosts muscle stamina in animal studies

2015-07-07
DURHAM, N.C. - The benefits of exercise are well known, but physical fitness becomes increasingly difficult as people age or develop ailments, creating a downward spiral into poor health. Now researchers at Duke Medicine report there may be a way to improve exercise tolerance and, by extension, its positive effects. Reporting in the July 7 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, the research team describes a small molecule and its metabolic pathway that work together to optimize energy use in exercising muscles. In mouse studies, animals that received a nutrient supplement ...

Investigators develop activated T cell therapy for advanced melanoma

2015-07-07
CLEVELAND - T cells from patients with melanoma can trigger a protective immune response against the disease according to a new study out of University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Published in the July/August issue of Journal of Immunotherapy, these new findings demonstrate that T cells derived from lymph nodes of patients with melanoma can be expanded in number and activated in the laboratory for intravenous administration in the treatment of patients. Led by Julian Kim, MD, Chief Medical ...

Goat meat consumption on the rise as immigrants keep ties to home culture

2015-07-07
If you're seeing more goat meat in grocery stores and on restaurant menus these days, you can probably chalk it up to a particular expression of ethnic identity--an expression that has important implications for immigrants, marketers, and policymakers, according to a recent study in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. "Goat meat is becoming more popular in America, and in large part it's been due to the desire of immigrants to retain the tastes and preferences of their country of origin," write the authors of the study, Denver D'Rozario and Guang Yang (both at Howard ...

NASA sees Typhoon Nangka strengthen

NASA sees Typhoon Nangka strengthen
2015-07-07
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Typhoon Nangka on July 6 and took an infrared look at the large storm as it strengthened from a tropical storm into a typhoon. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite gathered infrared temperature data on Nangka on July 6 at 15:11 UTC (1:11 p.m. EDT). The infrared data showed a large storm with the bulk of thunderstorms east of the low-level center. The 20 nautical-mile-wide (23 miles/37 km) eye of the storm is also visible on the image. Fragmented bands of powerful thunderstorms surrounded ...

Reusable shopping bags encourage shoppers to buy produce -- and junk food?

2015-07-07
Bringing reusable bags to the grocery store often means you are an environmentally friendly shopper. But it also influences the very things you buy. According to a new study in the Journal of Marketing, bringing your own bags makes you more likely to purchase organic food--and junk food as well. "Grocery store shoppers who bring their own bags are more likely to purchase organic produce and other healthy food. But those same shoppers often feel virtuous, because they are acting in an environmentally responsible way. That feeling easily persuades them that, because they ...

Yes, AT&T, it pays to win back lost customers

2015-07-07
The competition for customers in the service sector is fierce, and new customers are entering the market all the time. So when a company such as Time Warner, Travelocity, or AT&T loses a customer, is it worth it to try to win that customer back? Yes, says a new study in the Journal of Marketing. "Our results show that lost customers, if won back, can be profitable to a company and that so-called win-back initiatives are worth the time and effort," write V. Kumar (Georgia State University), Yashoda Bhagwat , and Xi (Alan) Zhang (both Georgia State University). "In particular, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Ancient isolation’s impact on modern ecology

Synaptic protein change during development offers clues on evolution and disease

How commercial rooftop solar power could bring affordable clean energy to low-income homes

Taking a closer look at pulmonary fibrosis genetics

Cats with MDR1 mutation at risk of severe reactions to popular medication

IOP Publishing and IPEM mandate reporting of sex and gender in research 

Dogs trained to detect trauma stress by smelling humans’ breath

Electronic device thermal management made simpler and slightly better!

Study: Dangerous surgical site infections can be reduced with simple prevention protocol

Genetic testing of patients with atrial fibrillation can alert clinicians to potential development of life-threatening conditions

Artificial Intelligence tool successfully predicts fatal heart rhythm

What progress has China made in agriculture green development over the past five years?

ALMA finds new molecular signposts in starburst galaxy

Open waste burning linked to air pollution in Northwestern Greenland

Google Street View reveals how built environment correlates with risk of cardiovascular disease

Connecting the dots to shape growth forces

Parental avoidance of toxic exposures could help prevent autism, ADHD in children, new study shows

Trends in the incidence of renal replacement therapy due to rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis in Japan, 2006–2021

Olympics not likely to swallow up skateboarding’s subversive nature into its corporate spectacle, study says

Looking after the NHS workforce must be a top priority, say experts

Prolonged use of certain hormone drugs linked to increased brain tumor risk

Delirium a ‘strong risk factor’ for dementia among older people

People experiencing homelessness more likely to develop dementia at younger ages, study finds

Can metalens be commercialized at a fraction of the cost?

Reclaim ‘wellness’ from the rich and famous, and restore its political radicalism, new book argues

Curtin research unlocks supernova stardust secrets

New documents reveal patient safety concerns over strike day cover

UTA hosts Solar-bration watch party for April 8 eclipse

Researchers discover molecule that promotes production of cancer cells in triple-negative breast cancer

New tool provides researchers with improved understanding of stem cell aging in the brain

[Press-News.org] Discovery could improve in vitro fertilization success rates for women around the world
Scientists identify 'chromosomal fate' of embryos at earliest stage of human development