varoblog

(cz) The efficacy of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) has been one of the most hotly disputed subjects in assisted reproduction over the past few years. None of the trials carried out so far has shown conclusively whether it works or not. Now the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Task Force on PGS has decided to try to find out if a novel method of doing PGS using polar body biopsy and chromosome array analysis offers a possible solution.
Professor Joep Geraedts, ESHRE chairman, told the 25th annual conference of the society today (Sunday, June 28) that the Task Force would carry out a pilot study of PGS in one of each pair of 23 chromosomes in polar bodies, tiny cells that are a by-product of egg development, in collaboration with BlueGnome, a DNA technology company based in Cambridge, UK. Once a pilot study has shown that the technique is feasible, the researchers intend to carry out an international randomised trial.
The first phase will begin in September 2009 in two centres: the University of Bonn, Germany (Dr. Markus Montag and Professor Hans van der Ven), and SISMER, Bologna, Italy (Dr. Luca Gianaroli and Dr. Cristina Magli). “Because this is a new technology,” said Dr. Gianaroli, “we need to carry out a pilot study in order to be sure that the analysis can be completed within a time period that allows for fresh transfer, as well as to ensure the reliable identification of the chromosomal status of an oocyte in at least 90% of polar body biopsy attempts.”
The two centres chosen for the pilot study have considerable experience in the field of polar body biopsy because legislation in their countries restricts the possibility of undertaking embryo biopsy at a later stage of development. The data from the study will be independently analysed by Dr. Sjoerd Repping, from the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, who carried out a randomised trial of PGS on three-day old embryos published in 2007. The researchers hope to present the data at ESHRE 2010 in Rome and to start the RCT with the involvement of at least six centres in different European countries later the same year. more…

From: »Eureka Alert«

(cz) An electronic ID tag that works even when cryogenically frozen could help prevent some of the mix-ups in IVF clinics that can cause heartbreak for would-be parents.
Last week, a couple from south Wales, UK, made headlines worldwide when they revealed that their last viable embryo had been taken from cryogenic storage at an IVF clinic in Cardiff and mistakenly implanted into another woman. The recipient, on learning of the bungle, terminated her pregnancy.
There were eight similar “class A” IVF mix-ups in 2008 in the UK fertility industry, according to its regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Class A means the wrong eggs, sperm or embryo were used in an IVF procedure. Such mix-ups occur when eggs, sperm or embryos are mislabelled due to slips in a lab’s verification procedures.
Part of the solution is a system called IVF Witness, which constantly monitors the identity of the gamete and embryo containers that are brought near to each other on the IVF lab bench - sounding an alarm if eggs about to be introduced to sperm, say, have come from the wrong woman.
The system, made by Research Instruments (RI) of Falmouth, UK, is installed in 16 of the nation’s 90 IVF clinics. It uses 15-millimetre- square, sticky-backed plastic radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to label any dishes or vials that eggs, sperm or embryos are placed into. The tags house a memory chip and a coiled copper radio antenna. Each tag’s memory is programmed with a unique ID code that is transmitted by its antenna when an ultra-low-power radio pulse interrogates the chip.
As a sample moves through the IVF process, the ID code of every container it is placed in is logged, providing a secure ID audit trail. So, in theory, only sperm and eggs from the right couples can be brought together, and the resulting embryos will be implanted into the right woman. more…

From: »New Scientist«

(cz) Fertility Experts call for better GP access to fertility tests to improve diagnosis and management across the UK.
A greater role for GPs would improve infertility management in the UK, according to a study in the north-east of England.
The study looked at referral patterns and outcomes in 797 infertile couples presenting at 58 practices in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear between January 2005 and June 2006.
A diagnosis was recorded in 64 per cent of couples after 12 months. Diagnosis was made in primary care in 6 per cent of cases, and the rest after referral.
Of the couples that reached diagnosis, 51 per cent were offered IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection as first line-therapy, but 36 per cent of these were initially referred to a non-HFEA licensed fertility unit and required onward referral before they could begin treatment.
Lead researcher and GP Dr Scott Wilkes from the University of Sunderland said that increasing the capacity of GPs to diagnose infertility would cut misdirected referrals.
He backed increasing GP access to fallopian tube assessment with open access hysterosalpingography (HSG).
‘GPs have the ability to check for sperm and ovulatory problems, but they do not usually have the ability to test the fallopian tubes. Therefore GPs currently cannot make a diagnosis for these patients.
‘The 36 per cent of patients initially misdirected to a centre where they could not be treated directly reflects the lack of access that GPs have to tubal assessment with HSG. more…

From: »healthcare republic«

(sz) Over a quarter of local health bodies are offering the recommended three free cycles of fertility treatment to couples trying to have a child.
The Department of Health said 27% of English primary care trusts offer three cycles - up from just 5% in 2007.
Health minister Gillian Merron said the health service was making “excellent progress” in improving IVF access.
Patient groups welcomed the increase, but said there was still “a long way to go”.
Infertility Network UK, which campaigns for better access to fertility care, has worked with the Department of Health to improve access to NHS treatment.
Guidance from the National Institute for health and Clinical Exellence already recommends women should have a body mass index (BMI) of no more than 30, and that they should not smoke.
The new guidance says where needed, women should be given advice on diet, and on physical activity to help them achieve a healthy BMI.
They should also be given advice and support on stopping smoking and a referral to a smoking cessation clinic.
It also says local health services should provide IVF for those who do not have children, including couples where one partner is childless. more…

From: »The BBC«

(wz) The National Infertility Awareness Campaign (NIAC) welcomed the document ‘Standardising Access Criteria to NHS Fertility Treatment’1 produced by Infertility Network UK (I N UK) and funded by the Department of Health.
The NICE Guideline issued in 2004 recommended that eligible couples should receive three full cycles of IVF or ICSI NHS treatment, and defines a cycle as one which includes frozen embryo transfers (FET), but more than five years on there remains considerable disparity not only in the number of cycles being funded by the Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) but equally importantly in the access criteria applied by the PCTs in determining who can receive treatment.
Recent measures announced by the Government to encourage implementation of the Guideline have led to an improvement in the provision in some areas but more needs to be done by Primary Care Trusts in England to ensure that patients have equal and timely access to the full range of treatment recommended by NICE, and to tackle the ongoing variations in provision that exist across the country.
Clare Lewis-Jones, Chair of NIAC and Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK said “Although there has been an improvement recently in the provision of treatment by some PCTs, there still remains considerable variation in the criteria used to determine whether or not couples can access treatment. more…

From: »Medical News Today«

(cz) MedITEX IVF erleichtert Organisation, Dokumentation und Qualitätsmanagement in der Reproduktionsmedizin
Die auf medizinische Lösungen spezialisierte IT-Beratungsgesellschaft CRITEX präsentiert ihre neue Software für In-vitro-Fertilisation MedITEX IVF vom 28. Juni bis zum 1. Juli in Amsterdam beim 25. Treffen der ESHRE (”European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology”). Die Softwarelösung ist das einzige in Deutschland zertifizierte Programm für die Dokumentation und das Qualitätsmanagement von ART und Non-ART-Therapien im Rahmen reproduktionsmedizinischer Behandlungen sowie die Information der Patienten und die Weiterverarbeitung der Daten zu wissenschaftlichen Analysen. MedITEX IVF hat sich bereits in weit über 200.000 Therapien bewährt. Speziell für die ESHRE 2009 wird die Demoversion der Software auch auf USB-Sticks ausgegeben.
MedITEX IVF ist von IT-Spezialisten und medizinischen Experten speziell für Kliniken, Zentren und Praxen entwickelt, die sich schwerpunktmäßig mit dem unerfüllten Kinderwunsch beschäftigen. Die Software lässt sich individuell an die jeweiligen technischen und organisatorischen Anforderungen im Praxisalltag anpassen und ermöglicht über die übersichtliche Benutzeroberfläche die intelligente Organisation von Abläufen sowie die transparente Dokumentation von Informationen und sensiblen Daten. more…

From: »presseecho.de« (press release)

You are surely aware of the upcoming ESHRE 2009. The 25th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (28 June - 1 July 2009).

Varolab, the leading German company for quality IVF-equipment, will be present with its own stand to present their products. We are also very much looking forward talking to you in person, exchanging all the latest industry news.

You will find us at booth #287/288.

Talk to you soon,

Stephan Zapf, MD

(sz) It was long believed that conception does not involve a meeting of equals. The egg is a relatively large, impressive biological factory compared with the tiny sperm, which delivers to the egg one copy of the father’s genes. However, a new study from Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah reveals that the father’s sperm delivers much more complex genetic material than previously thought. The findings could lead to a diagnostic test to help couples deal with infertility.
Researchers discovered particular genes packaged in a special way within the sperm, and that may promote the development of the fetus.
“Our findings show that the father plays an active role in packaging his genome to help ensure a healthy baby,” says study co-leader Brad Cairns, Ph.D., investigator with HCI and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and professor of oncological sciences at the University of Utah. “However, they also raise the possibility that a man’s aging, health and lifestyle may alter this packaging and negatively affect fertility and embryo development.”
During fetal development, certain genes make decisions about organ and tissue development. The new research shows that in sperm, these genes are wrapped in special packaging materials called ‘modified histones.’ These modified histones appear to be key factors in ensuring genes are activated or repressed at the right level, place and time, which helps the fertilized egg develop properly.
Chromosomes are long strands of DNA containing thousands of genes, and their packaging helps determine which genes turn on and off. Understanding how these genes are activated or repressed leads to a better understanding of how disorders like birth defects and cancer develop. more…

From: »Science Daily«

(wz) If you have been tempted to buy into the portrayal of Iran as a reckless, terrifying country, please take the following quiz. Each item requires a Yes or No answer:

Iranian state television recently ran a 22-part series dramatizing the Holocaust, including the man known as Iran’s Schindler, because he saved 4,000 to 5,000 European Jews by giving them Iranian passports.
The answer is “Yes” to everything on this list. Which serves to remind us of the subtle power of brainwashing. Even if you call yourself left-liberal, it’s hard to resist the toxic media image of Iran. This image has been fed to us for thirty years, ever since the Iranian hostage crisis. Since then, the right wing has fueled it without letup while the mass media and even the left have passively acquiesced.
All the contrary facts on my list came from watching a refreshingly open segment on NBC’s Dateline news magazine. In the same program, one learns that two-thirds of Iran’s population consists of people under thirty. This massive baby boom is coming of age feeling the need to break the shackles of the old religious hardliners. As a group, their feelings toward the United States are decidedly positive. Going behind the scenes, the NBC crew found a leading filmmaker who is a woman, as well as the country’s foremost AIDS doctor and activist. The latter pushed through a program for training AIDS patients in new jobs and providing clean needles for drug addicts. more…

From: »The San Francisco Chronicle«

(sz) If ever there was an example of the pressing need for electronic tracking of laboratory samples, it is the tragic case of a couple from South Wales who had their last embryo accidentally implanted into the wrong woman. As Gedis Grudzinskas, the leading fertility doctor, suggests, it is high time that tagging became best practice, rather than a procedure that only a handful of larger clinics that tag embryos, eggs and sperm samples.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority accepts the benefits, but insists that maunal checks are a must to ensure lab workers take due responsibility and carry out “double witnessing” on key procedures such as sample identification. The HFEA suggests that they ask companies to “validate [decisions] not to try tracking out”, yet there seems to be no added spur to action.
According to the Daily Mail, the number of IVF mix-ups and near misses (the vast majority being the latter) now stretches into three figures annually. The HFEA claims that mix-ups alone account for under 20 cases in the last decade, and the rise in the “blunder count” is greater vigilance, not rising error rates. But with IVF now moving into the realms of a lifestyle choice - brought on by women leaving motherhood late - the increasingly overworked system surely needs to be as robust as is physically, and electronically, possible… more…

From: »The Times«