Genetic mutations in IVF narrowed down

The condition of chromosomal imbalance is currently the major cause of pregnancy loss in in vitro fertilization. Joint research between the University of Kent’s Professor Darren Griffin, London Bridge Fertility Center and BlueGnome Ltd is addressing this problem.

The team’s research is published in the Journal of Medical Genetics. They screened 164 eggs for aneuploidy, a condition where the cell contains an incorrect number of chromosomes. They discovered that human aneuploidy is likely to be due to the premature splitting and separation of individual chromosomes into their two halves. This is contrary to prior beliefs which posited that aneuploidy arises from incorrect separation of whole chromosomes during the formation of an egg.

Professor Griffin explained that the screening was enabled by BlueGnome’s 24sure platform, a technique that assesses aneuploidy through thousands of measurements across all chromosomes. “The quantification is sufficiently accurate to distinguish between the gain or loss of whole or half chromosomes,” he said in a way which lets us know he is a terrible first date. “Therefore an assessment of which method leads to aneuploidy, ie the gain or loss, can be made.”

He stated that further investigation and research will be needed to show why this is happening. The screening is vital for finding the best eggs suitable for IVF and giving the parents the best chances of a live birth.

Source: Kent University, AlphaGalileo Foundation, Medical New Today