Thermo Fisher Scientific has submitted two reproductive health trials to support research on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), two techniques that can help people with fertility problems.
During IVF, an egg is removed from the woman's ovaries, mixed with sperm in a laboratory for fertilization, and placed in the woman's uterus to grow. ICSI addresses sperm-related infertility. The process is the same as IVF, except that a single sperm is injected into the egg to maximize the chances of fertilization.
Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) is an additional treatment for IVF and ICSI. Through PGT-A, embryologists look for abnormalities in the number of chromosomes by removing a cell or cells from the embryo. Embryos with abnormal numbers of chromosomes, known as aneuploid embryos, are less likely to develop further. In some cases, an abnormal number of chromosomes can cause genetic conditions.
Thermo Fisher has developed two assays to support PGT-A in research settings; none of the assays are cleared for use in diagnostic procedures. The products, the Ion ReproSeq PGT-A Kit and the Ion AmpliSeq Polyploidy Kit, are the first reproductive health assays available for the company's Ion Torrent Genexus integrated sequencer.
"Today's launch brings the benefits of next-generation sequencing to more research labs with the potential for rapid in-house testing and analysis," Garrett Hampton, president of clinical next-generation sequencing and oncology at Thermo Fisher, said in a statement. "Researchers must have reliable and accurate tests available to advance the field of fertility and ultimately improve reproductive health for all."
Thermo Fisher has responded to those needs by providing templates, sequencing and analysis in one platform to simplify the reproductive health research process. With the kits, scientists can detect contamination, avoid sample mix-up, and identify triploidy in embryos.
