Projects

Projects supported by the Foundation 

 

International registry and monitoring of the outcome of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the world (The Fondation FABER funds part of this project)

ICMART (International Committee for the Monitoring of ART) seeks to promote the creation of confidence in ART by monitoring the efficacy, safety and quality of ART. Confidence from couples, our professions and from society at large is necessary for ethical acceptance and for a more generous allocation of resources.

Common definitions of, for example, efficacy, incorporation of safety for women and children(e.g. prematurity and malformations) and quality assurance are important factors.

In the present application we seek support for the following specific target: To produce and disseminate, every two years in a World Report, the results of an international registry which monitors the procedures and outcome of ART using standardized forms of registration.

ART has spread throughout the world. The availability of international data as well as the impact of regional diversity can help medical professionals, national regulators/governments and consumers to better assess risks and benefits in their specific country and to evaluate the effect of certain regulations on the results of these medical interventions.

 

Karl Nygren, MD, PhD

Chairman ICMART

Stockholm – Sweden

 

Duration of project: 2004 - 2007

Proteomic patterns secreted by viable blastocysts as a diagnostic tool to accomplish single births after IVF.

Selection of the appropriate human blastocyst for single embryo transfer needs new approaches, other than morphology, to select those capable of implanting and then prevent multiple pregnancies (births) associated with IVF.

The aim of the present project is to investigate the human embryonic proteome and discover the differential pattern of secreted peptides/proteins between viable and non-viable human blastocysts before implantation by using cutting-edge proteomic technology.

In our centre, we have developed a single blastocyst transfer programme, which is the basis for the collection of 24h-conditioned media from single blastocysts that either implant (+ pregnancy test, viable) or do not implant (- pregnancy test, non viable). The proteomics technology will be applied to blastocyst condition media and proper controls by using HPLC, mass spectrometry, MALDI-TOF, and 2D-electrophoresis.

The objectives of the present work are: a) identification of the proteins secreted by the blastocysts in the last day of development before embryo transfer; b) comparison of the protein patterns secreted by viable versus non-viable human blastocysts and thus discovery of specific secreted protein fingerprint of viable embryos; c) correlation between embryo morphology and proteins identified in the objectives 1 and 2. d) production of a diagnostic kit for embryonic viability with the cluster of proteins differentially identified in the viable human blastocysts, and e) conduct a clinical prospective trial of selective single embryo transfer when positive results were obtained in the viability kit of the 24h-conditioned media from human blastocysts.

The scientific understanding of the blastocyst viability concept is crucial for embryo selection, both to avoid multiple gestation and for the ethical and legal implications in future studies on embryonic stem cells.

 

Carlos Simon

Valencia University, Valencia, Spain

 

Duration of project: 2004 - 2007