PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNews'Energising' patients' eggs for ICSI has no effect

BioNews

'Energising' patients' eggs for ICSI has no effect

Published 3 July 2018 posted in News and appears in BioNews 957

Author

Shaoni Bhattacharya

Science Editor
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.

A controversial technique to super-charge patients' eggs with their own mitochondria before undergoing assisted reproduction does not improve success rates, suggests a new study...

A controversial technique to 'super-charge' patients' eggs with the patients' own mitochondria does not improve assisted conception success rates, suggests a new study.

Dr Elena Labarta from the IVI clinic in Valencia, Spain, presented the pilot results from 57 patients with a poor fertility prognosis at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) annual conference in Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday.

'Unfortunately, the technique was not found useful for this type of patient, so we see no value for this patient population' said Dr Labarta.

The study examined the effects of a technique marketed as AUGMENT by US company OvaScience. Launched in 2014, this technique takes mitochondria from the egg precursor cells in a patient's own ovary and then micro-injects these mitochondria into the patient's egg, along with her partner's sperm, during ICSI.

The triple-blinded randomised study (the doctors, embryologists and patients were all unaware which embryos had undergone the procedure) compared rates of pregnancy and live births, as well as embryo quality, from eggs treated with ICSI alone versus eggs given extra mitochondria alongside ICSI.

'We could not find any differences in cumulative pregnancy outcomes between both groups,' said Dr Labarta. 'The live birth rate was absolutely comparable between both groups.'

Mr Stuart Lavery, a consultant gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital in London, who not involved in the study, noted that this is a 'really important negative finding'.

The theory behind this technique, he said, is that the mitochondria – which act as cellular 'batteries' – may age, contributing to the decline in the quality of eggs known to occur with ageing.

But Mr Lavery noted that the technique 'relies on us being able to identify egg precursor cells'. The idea that such cells can be meaningfully identified is in itself controversial.

Related Articles

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
12 June 2020 • 2 minutes read

Human eggs use chemical attraction to 'choose' sperm

by Ebtehal Moussa

The fluid that surrounds an egg when it is released acts as a chemical attractant to sperm, but may also select sperm from certain males over others...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
6 December 2019 • 2 minutes read

IVF clinics accused of 'embezzling' cash from desperate patients

by Georgia Everett

IVF clinics are seemingly 'embezzling' money from vulnerable patients by offering them unnecessary expensive add-ons to their treatment, according to a fertility expert...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
26 June 2019 • 2 minutes read

ICSI no better than IVF for routine infertility cases

by Shaoni Bhattacharya

The increasingly popular technique ICSI has no advantages over IVF in treating cases not related to male infertility, according to a new study...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
13 July 2018 • 2 minutes read

HFEA to issue regulations on IVF add-ons

by Rachel Siden

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority will require fertility clinics to give patients full information about any IVF 'add-on' services being offered to them...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Comment
9 November 2016 • 4 minutes read

Old drugs: new eggs?

by Bethany Muller and 1 others

Ten years ago, the claim that treatment with cancer drugs can 'grow new eggs' would have been met with incredulity. But a recent study has raised the possibility that ovarian stem cells may be capable of providing new eggs in later life...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
30 March 2016 • 3 minutes read

UK scientists seek trial of 'mitochondria-boosting' IVF technique

by Ryan Ross

UK fertility doctors are seeking permission to trial a new IVF treatment that involves transferring additional mitochondria into egg cells before fertilisation...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« 100-year-old method of fallopian flushing works years later

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.

Find out how you can advertise here
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
13 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Drop in diversity of blood stem cells leads to old-age health issues

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Placenta and organ formation observed in mouse embryo models

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Complex structures of the human heart bioengineered

8 August 2022 • 1 minute read

Brain tumour gene also linked to childhood cancers

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Lower hormone doses may improve IVF egg quality

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Boosting muscle cell production of gene therapy proteins

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856