In Vitro Fertilization is a technique to treat infertility where egg is fertilized with sperm outside the human body in a static culture dish until it develops into a suitable quality embryo which is then implanted into the uterus, resulting in pregnancy. In Vitro Fertilization is a significant advancement as an assisted reproductive technology to treat those couples, in which the fallopian tubes of the female are blocked or damaged or in which the male produces low sperm counts.
The success rate of In Vitro Fertilization varies widely and depends a lot on the quality of preimplantation embryos produced by in vitro manipulation as compared to embryos produced in vivo.
Researchers at University of Michigan Medical Center have found that when preimplantation embryos are allowed to grow outside the human body in dynamic culture systems which simulate the in vivo biomechanical environment, it resulted in the development of better quality embryos.
These researchers have developed a new device called Dynamic Microfunnel Embryo Culture System which enhances the In Vitro Fertilization treatment outcomes by providing a better simulation of the fluid-mechanism and biochemical stimulation embryos experience in vivo from ciliary currents and oviductal contractions. This resulted in 22 percent higher success rate of In Vitro Fertilization treatment in mice. This study could pave the way to increase embryo production efficiency for higher successful In Vitro Fertilization treatment rates in humans.
Source: Journal Human Reproduction, 2010
