Tag Archives: vitro

Success of In Vitro Fertilization: Advancements in Lambs Born from Highly Immature Eggs

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IVF Sheep Experiment

Groundbreaking IVF Study Results in Five Healthy Lambs

Photo by Laurence Winram

An innovative approach to in vitro fertilization (IVF) has successfully led to the birth of a healthy lamb. This method involves maturing immature eggs in a lab setting and marks a significant milestone in reproductive technology for large animals. The implications of this study may increase the availability and success rates of IVF treatments for women facing infertility issues, particularly those with ovaries compromised by cancer therapies.

“This is a monumental advancement,” says Stein Christensen, a professor at Copenhagen University Hospital who was not part of the research.

This study builds on over three decades of previous research, which first showed the potential of IVF in mice, as outlined in this live birth study. “Reproductive processes in sheep are more comparable to humans than in mice,” explains Dr. Manjushree Boob, whose clinic in Maharashtra, India, was not involved in the research.

Conventional IVF requires a series of daily hormone injections for one to two weeks that stimulate immature eggs to mature in the ovaries. Typically, only about 6 to 8 out of 10 mature eggs fertilize successfully, leading to implantation challenges, with only a 20% success rate for live births.

Due to these low success rates, attention is turning to the potential of utilizing immature eggs. Women are born with hundreds of thousands of eggs, but this count declines throughout their lives. Each menstrual cycle sees the maturation of a single follicle that releases an egg during ovulation.

In recent research, Helen Picton and her team at the University of Leeds collected numerous immature follicles from sheep. They utilized a blend of reproductive hormones and growth factors, such as follicle-stimulating hormone, to promote growth and maturation, achieving approximately 60% maturation of the eggs.

About 30% of these matured eggs were successfully fertilized, leading to embryos implanted in 18 sheep. This resulted in the birth of a female lamb in early 2024, along with four additional lambs earlier this year. Notably, the female lamb has also given birth to two offspring this year. Mr. Picton shared these findings at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in London on July 7th.

The outcomes of this research suggest that this novel technique could significantly enhance egg availability for fertilization and improve conception rates, as noted by Christensen. However, it may need to complement standard IVF practices, which could complicate the process and lead to higher costs.

Picton pointed out that while this approach shows promise, it is unlikely to become standard practice due to the invasive nature of follicle retrieval, which is more complicated than collecting mature eggs through conventional IVF.

Nonetheless, this method could greatly assist women whose ovaries have been adversely affected by cancer treatments. While doctors typically remove and freeze ovarian tissue to preserve fertility before treatment, this process carries risks, including the possibility of reintroducing cancer cells during transplantation. Picton emphasized that retrieving immature eggs poses fewer risks, as cancer primarily affects surrounding tissues.

Before widespread use, further research is necessary to determine if human eggs matured using this method are viable for fertilization. Christensen stated that upcoming studies are expected in the next few years, and, if they yield positive results, small-scale trials could aim for healthy live births. However, obtaining ethical approval may take 5 to 10 years. It is crucial that such studies demonstrate that benefits clearly outweigh any associated risks for future parents and their children.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How Magnetic Sperm Enhances In Vitro Fertilization Success

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Innovative IVF Technology: Enhancing Success Rates by Utilizing Internal Processes

Credit: Zephyr/Science Photo Library

Recent advancements in IVF technology involve creating embryos from magnetized spermatozoa, allowing them to be guided remotely to eggs. This groundbreaking method facilitates in vivo fertilization, reducing invasiveness while potentially increasing success rates in assisted reproduction.

“Our ultimate vision is to utilize the body as a natural incubator for assisted reproduction,” states Mariana Medina Sanchez, a researcher at CIC nanoGUNE in Spain.

Low sperm count or motility can complicate natural conception, making IVF a challenging process. Traditional IVF involves invasive steps such as hormone injections and egg retrieval, which can lead to side effects and unsuccessful cycles. The artificial environment often negatively impacts embryo viability due to multiple manipulations.

To combat these issues, Medina Sanchez and her team developed a method for transporting sperm through the female reproductive tract to the fallopian tubes, enabling fertilization under natural conditions. By applying a weak magnetic field, researchers transformed sperm into magnetic entities, which can be directed into the body seamlessly. “We aimed to create a sperm preparation protocol that integrates into standard IVF workflows, so we consulted IVF specialists,” Medina Sanchez elaborates.

The research team incubated cow sperm with tiny iron oxide and polystyrene magnetic beads, with about 30 beads attaching to the sperm’s head, leaving the tail free for movement. Tests confirmed that magnetized sperm showed no adverse effects on swimming speed or overall health.

After incubating magnetic sperm with eggs, the researchers noted that embryo formation rates were comparable to those of non-magnetic sperm. The beads detached from the sperm upon entering the egg, without affecting initial embryo development.

The researchers demonstrated that external magnetic fields could accurately direct magnetic sperm toward eggs during experiments in vitro.

“This represents a significant breakthrough and validates our concept,” states Kylie Dunning from the University of Adelaide, Australia. “However, several challenges remain before this can enter clinical practice,” she warns, highlighting the need to prove that magnetic sperm can reach fallopian tubes and successfully fertilize eggs outside laboratory settings, ultimately resulting in healthy pregnancies.

The visibility of magnetic beads on ultrasound provides an advantage for tracking sperm locations within the body. Encouragingly, preliminary findings have indicated that entire embryos, incorporated with small magnetic structures, can be navigated into mouse fallopian tubes using external magnets.

Once detached, the beads are expected to be naturally expelled by the body’s waste removal system. However, if necessary, they can be extracted using a magnet attached to a catheter, according to Medina Sanchez. “This holds great promise for the future of assisted reproduction,” she concludes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

First successful production of Kangaroo embryos via in vitro fertilization (IVF)

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It’s a major scientific leap – or at least the hop.

Australian researchers said Thursday it was the first time it produced the first kangaroo embryos through intravitro fertilization, a breakthrough that helped save endangered species from extinction.

Australia is not a shortage of kangaroos – bouncing creatures are generally eaten there – but they are from a group of mammalian marsupials that have been mostly discovered in the country and have lost many species due to extinction.

Prime Minister Andres Gambini, a lecturer at the University of Queensland, said that using kangaroo eggs and sperm by researchers could help support the conservation of these marsupials.

“Our team has built up years of experience dealing with livestock reproductive techniques, such as livestock and horses,” Gambini told NBC News via email. “Adapting these techniques to the unique biology of kangaroos allowed us to create embryos in our lab for the first time.”

This study will help scientists learn more about how marsupial embryos grow because they breed differently than other mammals.

“Kangaroos have a very short pregnancy and embryos can enter suspended animations for several months,” Gambini said. “Our success at IVF helps us to better understand the early stages of these developments.”

Australia is one of the world’s most biological countries, but has the highest rate of mammal extinction. Australia’s Invasive Species Council says that since the European settlement, at least 33 mammal species have been extinct, with many of their marsupials extinct.

Due to its historically high extinction rate, the Australian government announced its 10 years in 2022. “Zero Extinction” plan To protect those under threat, we reserve at least 30% of the country’s land mass for conservation.

“If we continue to do what we do, more plants and animals will be extinct,” Australia’s Environment Minister Tanya Privelesek said in the report. “Even koalas are currently at risk on Australia’s east coast.”

Currently, according to 2023, more than 2,200 species in the country are classified as extinct. Report Australian nonprofit foundation.

“Laws intended to protect the nature of Australia have failed,” the report states, with the major conservation policies in countries that existed “are barely monitored and rarely enforced, and businesses are able to naturally qualify. It’s full of loopholes that allow you to destroy it.”

Kangaroos are not at risk, but researchers at the University of Queensland have said that their latest breakthroughs include koalas, Tasmanian demons and other endangered species on the continent, including the hairy nose wombats in the north I hope it will help maintain marsupial species.

“This study provides new tools to maintain the genetic material of endangered species,” Gambini said. “By creating and freezing embryos, we can protect the unique genes of these animals.”

This is not the first time IVF has been used as a tool to preserve endangered species.

Last year, Italian scientists achieved the world’s first IVF rhino pregnancy, offering hope to save Kenya’s northern white rhinoceros – two of which remain on Earth from extinction. They did so by transferring lab-created rhinoembryos to surrogate mothers.

Still, Gambini said the latest IVF breakthrough is just one step on the long road to a more comprehensive solution.

“There’s a lot of unknowns because we’re the first and there’s still so much to discover,” he says, and when combined with other strategies, “make a real difference in some kind of risky kind of thing.” “You can do that.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com