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In Vitro Fertilization Using Mother's
Genetic Material
Women who cannot fertilize their own eggs may still be
able to give birth to a baby with her genes instead of those from the donor. In the April
27 issue of Human Reproduction, a team of international researchers report on a new method
of fertilization.
In the unique procedure, first the nucleus, the part of
the egg carrying most of the genes, is removed from the donor egg. Then, the nucleus from
the egg of the infertile woman is transferred into the cytoplasm of donor egg. It is a
defect in the cytoplasm of the egg that causes infertility in about 90 per cent of women
who undergo in vitro fertilization.
The procedure was performed successfully using two
different methods. In one, the nucleus is removed using an organic chemical. Then, another
chemical essentially "glues" the nucleus of the infertile egg to the egg missing
a nucleus. In the second method, a simple mechanical technique was used to manipulate the
two eggs.
For the sake of this study, researchers did not attempt
to fertilize the reconstructed eggs because of laws in France and Spain, which prohibit
the formation of human embryos for the sake of research. Researchers say, "We are now
ready to try and develop treatment for women with repeated failures of embryo development
caused by defective cytoplasm in their eggs." They add, "Compared to standard
egg donation this approach will enable a nearly full genetic contribution (with the
exception of 37 female extranuclear genes) from both parents to the future embryo." |
