Embryo News and Research

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Study reveals surge in male-factor infertility technique

A national study reveals that the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI -- an assisted reproductive technology used to treat male-factor infertility -- has increased dramatically in the United States since 1995, while the proportion of patients receiving treatment for male-factor infertility has remained stable.

18 Jul 2007

Study shows that folic acid added to flours lowers incidence of congenital neural tube deformation

Dr. Philippe De Wals of Universit' Laval's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine today publishes a study clearly indicating that the addition of folic acid to flours has led to a 46% drop in the incidence of congenital neural tube deformation (mainly anencephaly and spina bifida) in Canada. Such deformations either result in the child's death or in major health problems, including physical and learning disabilities.

13 Jul 2007

New data about the laws governing embryo development in organisms

Research aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying embryo development has taken a step forward thanks to collaborative work between biologists specialized in the study of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and scientists specialized in the design of mathematical models that simulate the functioning of biological systems.

12 Jul 2007

New genetic function involved in embryo development in organisms

11 Jul 2007

Rapid evolution of defense genes in plants may produce hybrid incompatibility

One of the basic tenets of evolution is speciation in which populations of the same species become so genetically and morphologically variable that they can be classified as two different species.

10 Jul 2007

New insight into neural stem cells

Scientists have discovered that adult neural stem cells, which exist in the brain throughout life, are not a single, homogeneous group.

9 Jul 2007

Risk-taking in infertility treatment correlates with women's negative moods

A study of women's moods during IVF has found a strong relationship between negative mood and multiple embryo transfer, a scientist told the 23rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (Tuesday 3 July).

4 Jul 2007

Artificially replicating the male genome may help infertile men

Artificially replicating the male genome could help men with very low sperm counts become fathers, a scientist told the 23rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

4 Jul 2007

Complex assisted reproduction procedures more likely to lead to umbilical cord abnormality

The more complex the assisted reproduction procedure, the more likely the umbilical cord develops in an atypical place or have other abnormalities, a scientist told the 23rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

4 Jul 2007

Genetic embryo screening found to be a costly mistake for many women

According to a new study older women whose embryos were screened for defects before being implanted in the womb lessened their chance of a successful pregnancy.

4 Jul 2007

Mother donates eggs to infertile daughter

A Canadian mother has taken the unique step of donating her eggs to her daughter to ensure she can have a child.

4 Jul 2007

Embryos screened to reduce the risk of twins

Japanese researchers say women undergoing fertility treatment may soon be able to have their embryos screened to reduce their chances of giving birth to twins.

3 Jul 2007

Baby girl created using new lab technique

Canadian researchers have scored a world first by creating a baby from an egg which matured in the laboratory, was frozen, thawed and then fertilised.

3 Jul 2007

Natural hormone relaxin offers hope to infertile couples

A new study from the University of Leicester is investigating whether a naturally produced hormone could provide the key to helping couples conceive.

29 Jun 2007

Link between ciliary signaling and cancer

Submarines have periscopes. Insects have antennae. And increasingly, biologists are finding that most normal vertebrate cells have cilia, small hair-like structures that protrude like antennae into the surrounding environment to detect signals that control cell growth.

29 Jun 2007

New type of mouse embryonic stem cell discovered

Scientists have discovered a new type of mouse embryonic stem cell that is the closest counterpart yet to human embryonic stem (ES) cells, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced.

28 Jun 2007

Discovery of gene and mechanism essential to the embryonic development of the epididymis

Human sperm cells travel up to 6 meters in their transit from testes to penis, and most of that journey occurs in the epididymis, a tightly coiled tube that primes the cells for their ultimate task: fertilization.

28 Jun 2007

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejects Vitrolife patent claims

In November 2005, IVFonline.com, LLC, among others, was sued for patent infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,838,235 (the '235 patent) by Vitrolife, AB of Sweden (Vitrolife).

27 Jun 2007

New genetic marker characterizes aggressiveness of cancer cells

Levels of a small non-coding RNA molecule called let-7 appear to define different stages of cancer better than some of the "classical" markers for tumor progression, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the June 25, 2007, early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

26 Jun 2007

Goltz syndrome gene found

Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have identified the gene that accounts for most cases of Goltz syndrome, a rare skin disorder that can also affect bone and eye development.

23 Jun 2007