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News: Mice produced from unfertilised eggs

Francesca Gavins 14 March 2022

Full-term mouse offspring were derived from single unfertilised eggs using targeted CRISPR/Cas9 epigenome editing.

Parthenogenesis – generating offspring from a single unfertilised egg – is usually not possible in mammals due to a phenomenon known as genomic imprinting. Genomic imprinting describes how methylation in certain regions of the genome silences one allele inherited from either the mother or father, but not the other. These regions are often important for genetic control of embryonic development, which cannot go ahead without correct imprinting.

Now, scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China have described how they achieved parthenogenesis in a mouse who survived to adulthood and later gave birth to viable offspring by targeting these regions. 

In the study published in the journal Developmental Biology the authors wrote: 'Together, these data demonstrate that parthenogenesis can be achieved in mammals by appropriate epigenetic regulation of multiple imprinting control regions. This is consistent with the famous parental conflict hypothesis (also known as the Haig hypothesis), which proposes that the imprinting-mediated balance between paternal and maternal genomes is critical for mammalian development.'

Seven imprinting control regions of DNA were targeted for induced methylation or demethylation in the study. These targeted imprinting control regions were shown in the literature to play key roles in the regulation of fetal and postnatal growth as well as support the development of bimaternal and bipaternal embryos.

Eggs were removed from a donor mouse and injected with multiple single guide RNAs attached to either Cas9 or messenger RNA that induced methylation or demethylation in the imprinting control region, respectively, in one allele of each gene and not the other. These edited regions maintained methylation during the early stages of development. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to assess the expression of the modified gene in the embryos and suggested that the techniques significantly improved parthenogenetic development. The modified embryos were then transferred into the uteruses of different mice. 

Of 192 embryos transferred at the blastocyst stage, 14 developed into pregnancy, three gave birth, and only one survived to adulthood. Of the two pups who died within 24 hours of birth, further testing demonstrated that at least one of the seven imprinting control regions exhibited loss of methylation confirming imprinting at all seven regions was crucial for development and viability. 

Identifying and editing additional imprinting control regions could improve the efficiency of the parthenogenetic process, the authors suggested. Epigenetic imprinting may also result in unknown off-target effects. Here, off-target analysis of likely sites showed no significant changes, suggesting high-specificity of the technology. Although, future studies are needed to fully assess any effects.

SOURCES & REFERENCES

Mammalian offspring derived from a single unfertilised egg
Phys Org |  8 March 2022
Mouse pups born from unfertilised eggs through genetic manipulation
New Scientist |  7 March 2022
Viable offspring derived from single unfertilised mammalian oocytes
PNAS |  7 March 2022
Virgin birth: Fatherless mouse born from unfertilised egg survives to adulthood and gives birth to healthy litter
Independent |  9 March 2022
Virgin births! Fatherless mice are created in the lab using only unfertilised mouse eggs - marking a huge step towards one-parent babies
Daily Mail |  8 March 2022

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Webinar: I THINK I READ IT SOMEWHERE..

International IVF Initiative 05 March 2022
I THINK I READ IT SOMEWHERE..

I THINK I READ IT SOMEWHERE..

Tuesday, 22nd March, 2022. 3pm EST/ 7pm UK/ 8pm CET
NOTE TIME CHANGE FOR SOME TIMEZONES

Moderators: 
Dr. Peter Nagy and Dr. Kathryn Go 

Talks and discussions on the backstory of influential scientific papers and hidden gems in scientific journals that defined how we work today.

Dr. Jacques Cohen
Dr. Santiago Munne 
Prof. David Gardner 
Prof. Gianpiero D. Palermo
Dr. Kimball Pomeroy

This session is kindly sponsored by ZyMōt Fertility

REGISTER


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News: Beijing to fund fertility treatment under public medical insurance scheme

Farah Alam 05 March 2022

In Beijing, couples using the city public medical insurance scheme, will be insured for 16 different types of fertility treatment, as part of China's response to counteract the country's declining birth rates.

China has continued to see a decline in birth rate despite encouraging couples to have a third child, since the three-child policy was introduced last year. In 2021, the number of births per woman in China was 1.15, which was one of the lowest in the world, according to the Chinese cable TV news service, CGTN.

'The announcement of the policy shows the country's determination to encourage birth,' Liao Xi, dean of Beijing Perfect Family Hospital, told the Beijing-based newspaper, Securities Daily. 'Those who choose assisted reproductive technologies have a strong willingness to have a child. But the success rate of the technologies is limited. The services were previously not included under the public medical insurance scheme because they are costly.'

The insurance will cover fertility treatment, including IVF and intrauterine insemination (IUI) from 26 March, as reported by Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency. IUI involves sperm being directly injected into the uterus for improved fertilisation success. The number of IVF rounds that couples can have subsidised is also unlimited as reported in the Times.

Some Beijing residents have responded well to this change in policy as reported by the Chinese state-owned online magazine, Sixth Tone. They interviewed 30-year old Luo Yanan, who has spent 50,000 yuan on two unsuccessful IVF procedures, last year. Yanan 'hopes to try the procedure again and is relieved that part of the costs would be covered by insurance.'

This change in Beijing's insurance scheme may spread to other cities as well. An employee from an infertility treatment centre in Shanghai, told Sixth Tone: 'the city is now under pressure to add assisted reproductive technologies to insurance scheme after Beijing's move.'

China is also considering additional measures in easing the burden of child-rearing for families. These includes longer maternity leave and increasing the number of nurseries available.

SOURCES & REFERENCES

Amid fewer births, Beijing adds fertility treatments to insurance
Sixthtone |  23 February 2022
Beijing's medical insurance to cover fertility services to boost birth rate
CGTN |  21 February 2022
'Free IVF' as China tries to reverse declining birthrate
The Times |  21 February 2022
To support births, Chinese capital Beijing adds fertility services to insurance
Reuters |  28 February 2022

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Announcement: Microptic Hands on Sessions as part of Reproduction Master degrees

Microptic 05 March 2022
Microptic Hands on Sessions as part of Reproduction Master degrees

On March 1st, our Microptic participated in the tenth edition of the Master’s Degree In Reproductive Medicine, organized by the Department of Biotechnology of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Alicante (UA) and the Instituto Bernabeu de Alicante (IB), by doing a practical workshop on semen analysis.

In this session, held in the University of Alicante (Spain), international students learned to prepare sperm samples and assess them with the CASA system SCA – Sperm Class Analyzer.

About Microptic courses

MICROPTIC, specialized in biomedicine, offers training courses, workshops and webinars to professionals in the field of semen analysis. MICROPTIC’s learning concept includes education at different levels – taught by biologists – and hands-on training with fresh sample.


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Webinar: RBMO LIVE: EPISODE V

International IVF Initiative 28 February 2022
RBMO LIVE: EPISODE V

Tuesday, 1st March, 2022. 3pm EST/ 8pm UK/ 9pm CET

Moderators: 
Professor Richard Anderson and Dr. Mina Alikani with Dr. Marcos Meseguer

Interviews, discussion and showcase articles

Counter current paper 
“The way to improve ART outcomes is to introduce more technologies in the lab”
Prof. David Gardner 

Selected articles:
“The closer the knit, the tighter the fit: conceptual and ethical issues of human embryo modelling” 
Ana Pereira Daoud

“Focus on time-lapse analysis: blastocyst collapse and morphometric assessment as new features of embryo viability”.
Romualdo Sciorio

“Will the introduction of automated ART laboratory systems render the majority of embryologists redundant?”
Lorena Bori Arnal

Panel discussion and Q and A.

VIEW HERE


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Announcement: Have your say! - Sharing bad news within fertility care

Cardiff University Fertility Research Group 25 February 2022
Have your say! - Sharing bad news within fertility care

Bad news is frequently shared in fertility care, but there is little knowledge about patients’ and staff’s views and needs regarding how bad news is communicated. 

 

The survey will focus on your perceptions, coping strategies and needs related to your experience of sharing/receiving bad news. The aim is to better understand the views and needs of patients and staff involved in fertility treatment and about the process of receiving/sharing bad news in fertility care. 

 

The inclusion criteria includes that:

  • the bad news regarding fertility care was shared/received in the last 2 months
  • you are over 18 years-old

 

By bad news we mean any information that has a negative or serious effect on the person’s view of their future, noting that what is bad news is always the opinion of the person receiving the news.

The survey will take no more than around 15 minutes, depending on your experiences. All answers will be held anonymously. 

 

Thank you very much for your consideration!


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News: Course Name : IVF Lab set-up, procurement & Clinical Embryology, Embryo culture, ICSI, Cryobiology, QA/QC

Dr. Prof (Col) Pankaj Talwar VSM 24 February 2022
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News: ART & Embryology training program

Chennai Fertility Center and Research Institute 17 February 2022
ART & Embryology training program

March 2022 Training Batch Schedule -7th Mar - 21st Mar 2022

The International School of Embryology was established to offer training for clinicians in advanced reproductive technologies. Our skill and precision to all aspirants help them to know in-depth knowledge and experience. The members of our teaching faculty aim to bring doctors and embryologists to the highest level of knowledge about reproductive techniques and practical capability in the field.

Our courses cover basics in Andrology, embryology, ICSI, and cryosciences (Hands-on).

Limited Seats. For admission Contact  9003111598 / 8428278218


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Announcement: Online hybrid digital training courses for perfection in ovulation induction, Andrology, IUI; IVF ET, Embryology, ultrasound.

Dr. Prof (Col) Pankaj Talwar VSM 17 February 2022
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News: HFEA says twin births are at an all-time low

Christina Burke 14 February 2022

The proportion of multiple births following IVF has fallen dramatically to six percent, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

The number of multiple births has reached an all-time low in the UK. 'This is a major success for UK healthcare. Multiple births can be dangerous for both patients and unborn babies and can put an additional burden on the NHS,' explained Julia Chain, chair of the HFEA.

The new report from the HFEA, published last week, summarised data on multiple births following IVF between 2015 and 2019. Multiple births carry a higher risk of prematurity, which can result in long-term health issues such as cerebral palsy and learning difficulties in the child. Women carrying multiple pregnancies are also at a higher risk of pre-eclampsia and late miscarriage. The HFEA reported a substantial reduction in the UK multiple birth rate from the 1990s to 2019, falling from 28 percent to just six percent.

Importantly, the HFEA found that the reduction in multiple births by transferring only one embryo at a time does not seem to have had an impact on success rates. On the contrary, IVF success rates have steadily improved. In addition, no difference was found between IVF success rates for patients using the NHS and patients whose treatment was funded privately. However, the rate of multiple births was higher among young, privately funded patients (nine percent) compared to NHS patients (five percent).

Historically, multiple birth rates following IVF have been higher than multiple birth rates following natural conception, because of multiple embryos being transferred into the womb at once. The practice of triple embryo transfer was restricted in 2003 to patients under 40, apart from in exceptional circumstances. Then in 2007, the HFEA's 'One at a Time' campaign encouraged clinics to practise single embryo transfer and freeze other viable embryos. Single embryo transfers have since limited the rate of multiple births to between one and three percent across all age groups.

The HFEA's report did, however, reveal that multiple birth rates have not fallen evenly across all demographics. Multiple births and multiple embryo transfers were significantly higher in black patients than in other ethnic groups, at a rate of 12 percent compared with an average of ten percent across other groups. Consequently, black women and their babies remain at a higher risk from the complications of a multiple birth.

Chain affirmed that the HFEA will 'encourage clinics to review their multiple birth strategies, particularly in relation to patients from ethnic minority groups as we want to achieve a level playing field for all patients.'

SOURCES & REFERENCES

Multiple births in fertility treatment 2019
HFEA |  8 February 2022
Number of twins being born through IVF in Britain falls to all-time low of just 6% in 'major success' for healthcare, fertility regulator warns
Daily Mail |  8 February 2022

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