Silicone Womb Allows Cyborg Babies, At Least Better Success Rates
A common problem with in-vitro fertilization is influencing the fertilized embryo to grow and eventually implant in the uterus. A new "silicon womb" being researched in the UK has found a way to help those odds. The apparatus holds test-tube embryos inside an artificial womb to more closely emulate the natural conditions in which life begins. Researchers believe that putting the embryos in these containers will lead to healthier, better quality embryos, and clinical trials in the upcoming months may prove their theory.
In in-vitro fertilization eggs taken from the donor are fertilized with sperm and allowed to develop for 2 to 5 days. At this point the healthiest are transferred into the donor's uterus; this is where the silicon womb comes in. The fertilized embryos are places in these perforated silicon containers and the whole container is then placed in the donor's uterus where they grow in a more natural environment. After a few days they removed and the healthiest embryos are then implanted in the donor's uterus."Embryos incubated in the lab must have their growth medium changed every few hours to provide new nutrients and get rid of waste", researchers say. "The new device provides a more natural environment."
The apparatus is a silicon capsule, 5 millimeters long and less than a millimeter across that has been perforated with 360 holes, each 40 microns wide. Embryos are placed in the container and a wire is attached for later recovery. Simon Fishel, leader of the CARE UK fertility group says the results s far have been "encouraging but not conclusive", but currently over 40 volunteers will be participating in their study to assess the impact the apparatus has. "We will be able to directly compare the results of the in-vitro and in-vivo techniques," says Fishel.
The most important obstacle is that the Anecova capsule is not placed "exactly where an early embryo would naturally develop, inside one of the fallopian tubes", Fishel says. Embryos usually spend about a week traveling down the fallopian tubes towards the womb; this is where the development the Anecova capsule is mimicking occurs. "It's a lot closer to a fallopian tube than a plastic tray, but this new device is not an artificial fallopian tube," adds Laurence Shaw a researcher at the Bridge Centre fertility clinic in London, "The trials will tell us whether the environment in the womb will do instead."
Nick Sears
Anecova via NewsScientist
In in-vitro fertilization eggs taken from the donor are fertilized with sperm and allowed to develop for 2 to 5 days. At this point the healthiest are transferred into the donor's uterus; this is where the silicon womb comes in. The fertilized embryos are places in these perforated silicon containers and the whole container is then placed in the donor's uterus where they grow in a more natural environment. After a few days they removed and the healthiest embryos are then implanted in the donor's uterus."Embryos incubated in the lab must have their growth medium changed every few hours to provide new nutrients and get rid of waste", researchers say. "The new device provides a more natural environment."
The apparatus is a silicon capsule, 5 millimeters long and less than a millimeter across that has been perforated with 360 holes, each 40 microns wide. Embryos are placed in the container and a wire is attached for later recovery. Simon Fishel, leader of the CARE UK fertility group says the results s far have been "encouraging but not conclusive", but currently over 40 volunteers will be participating in their study to assess the impact the apparatus has. "We will be able to directly compare the results of the in-vitro and in-vivo techniques," says Fishel.
The most important obstacle is that the Anecova capsule is not placed "exactly where an early embryo would naturally develop, inside one of the fallopian tubes", Fishel says. Embryos usually spend about a week traveling down the fallopian tubes towards the womb; this is where the development the Anecova capsule is mimicking occurs. "It's a lot closer to a fallopian tube than a plastic tray, but this new device is not an artificial fallopian tube," adds Laurence Shaw a researcher at the Bridge Centre fertility clinic in London, "The trials will tell us whether the environment in the womb will do instead."
Nick Sears
Anecova via NewsScientist
posted by NSears at 9:10 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home