No evidence that embryo selection by near-infrared spectroscopy in addition to morphology is able to improve live birth rates: results from an individual patient data meta-analysis

Vergouw, C.G.; Heymans, Martijn W.; Hardarson, Thorir; Sfontouris, Ioannis A.; Economou, Konstantinos; Ahlström, Aisling; Rogberg, Lena; Lainas, Trifon G.; Sakkas, Denny; Kieslinger, D.C.; Kostelijk, E.H.; Hompes, Peter G.A.; Schats, R.; Lambalk, Cornelis B.

doi:10.1093/humrep/det456

Cited by 41 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…These results were then supported by another RCT, which also failed to show improvement of live birth rate after day 3 transfer when using NIR spectroscopy (Vergouw et al, 2012). Evaluations of this technical platform by some principal investigators suggested that the threshold of spectral signal used to predict viability was not strong enough and was highly sensitive to signal noise, impairing the robustness and reproducibility of the analysis and the performance of the predictive algorithms (Sakkas, 2014;Vergouw et al, 2014).…”

Section: Article In Pressmentioning

confidence: 93%

Quality control and standardization of embryo morphology scoring and viability markers

Lundin

Ahlström

2015

Reproductive BioMedicine Online

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A so-called 'good-quality embryo' may be defined as an embryo that has the potential to implant into the uterine endometrium and give rise to the birth of a healthy child. A standardized and objective scoring of embryo 'quality' is therefore crucial in the classification and selection of embryos. However, embryo scoring is still being performed mainly via ocular evaluation, which often results in different interpretations of embryo quality. The addition of viability markers, such as measuring gene expression or the uptake/release of metabolites, proteins or RNA/DNA molecules in the culture media, would increase the possibility of standardized measurements. However, no single biomarker has yet been introduced into standard clinical practice, mainly due to the complexity of the techniques and the influence of biological variations and differences in culture conditions. In this paper different methods for the scoring of embryos and the possibility of standardizing and implementing quality control systems are discussed.

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Section: Article In Pressmentioning

confidence: 93%

Quality control and standardization of embryo morphology scoring and viability markers

Lundin

Ahlström

2015

Reproductive BioMedicine Online

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“…,b; Vergouw et al . ). However, NIR and Raman analysis are generally used for overall spectral profile comparison, and are primarily aimed at distinguishing viable from non‐viable embryos with regard to either developmental or pregnancy potential.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Non‐invasive assessment of culture media from goat cloned embryos associated with subjective morphology by gas chromatography – mass spectroscopy‐based metabolomic analysis

Zhang

Jia

Wan

et al. 2017

Animal Science Journal

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Pre-implantation embryo metabolism demonstrates distinctive characteristics associated with the development potential of embryos. We aim to determine if metabolic differences correlate with embryo morphology. In this study, gas chromatography - mass spectroscopy (GC-MS)-based metabolomics was used to assess the culture media of goat cloned embryos collected from high-quality (HQ) and low-quality (LQ) groups based on morphology. Expression levels of amino acid transport genes were further examined by quantitative real-time PCR. Results showed that the HQ group presented higher percentages of blastocysts compared with the LQ counterparts (P < 0.05). Metabolic differences were also present between HQ and LQ groups. The culture media of the HQ group showed lower levels of valin, lysine, glutamine, mannose and acetol, and higher levels of glucose, phytosphingosine and phosphate than those of the LQ group. Additionally, expression levels of amino acid transport genes SLC1A5 and SLC3A2 were significantly lower in the HQ group than the LQ group (P < 0.05, respectively). To our knowledge, this is the first report which uses GC-MS to detect metabolic differences in goat cloned embryo culture media. The biochemical profiles may help to select the most in vitro viable embryos.

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“…When dealing with the transfer of fresh embryos, extensive effort is being made towards improving our ability to select viable embryos out of a cohort of cleavage embryos or blastocysts (time lapse analysis, gene expression analysis, metabolomics, etc.) [8,40,41]. However, selection tools for the transfer of thawed embryos are still based on survival and morphology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxidative markers in cryopreservation medium from frozen-thawed embryos: a possible tool for improved embryo selection in in vitro fertilization?

Wiener-Megnazi

Lahav-Baratz

Blais

et al. 2016

J Assist Reprod Genet

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Purpose The present study evaluated the association between oxidative parameters in embryo cryopreservation medium and laboratory and clinical outcomes. Methods This prospective laboratory study was conducted in an IVF unit in a university-affiliated hospital with 91 IVF patients undergoing a frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycle. Following thawing, 50 μL of embryo cryopreservation medium was retrieved from each cryotube and tested by the thermochemiluminescence (TCL) assay. TCL amplitudes after 50 (H1), 150 (H2), and 280 s (H3) were recorded in counts per second (CPS) and the TCL ratio determined for comparison with implantation and pregnancy rates. Results A total of 194 embryos were transferred in 85 frozenthaw cycles. Twenty-one pregnancies (24.7 %) occurred. Implantation and overall and clinical pregnancy rates were higher when the median TCL H1 amplitude was <32 CPS compared to ≥32 CPS (14.6 vs. 5.3 %, 37.5 vs. 17 %, 28.1 vs. 9.4 %, respectively). No pregnancies occurred when the H1 amplitude was ≥40 CPS. Logistic regression multivariate analysis found that only the median TCL H1 amplitude was associated with the occurrence of pregnancy (OR = 2.93, 95 % CI 1.065-8.08). The TCL ratio inversely correlated with the duration of embryo cryopreservation (r = −0.37).Conclusions The results indicate that thawed embryos may express oxidative processes in the cryopreservation medium, and higher oxidative levels are associated with lower implantation rates. These findings may aid in the improved selection of frozen-thawed embryos for IVF.

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No evidence that embryo selection by near-infrared spectroscopy in addition to morphology is able to improve live birth rates: results from an individual patient data meta-analysis

Abstract: There is at present no evidence that NIR spectroscopy of spent embryo culture media in its current form can be used in daily practice to improve live birth rates.

Cited by 41 publications

References 27 publications

Quality control and standardization of embryo morphology scoring and viability markers

Quality control and standardization of embryo morphology scoring and viability markers

Non‐invasive assessment of culture media from goat cloned embryos associated with subjective morphology by gas chromatography – mass spectroscopy‐based metabolomic analysis

Oxidative markers in cryopreservation medium from frozen-thawed embryos: a possible tool for improved embryo selection in in vitro fertilization?

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