Crispr and IVF Flashcards
How many babies have been born through IVF?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports about 4 million births per year in the U.S., meaning 1 to 2 percent of all U.S. births annually are via IVF.
Who was the first “test-tube” baby?
Louise Brown was born in the U.K. on July 25, 1978. Known as the first “test-tube baby,” she was a product of IVF, a process where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside of the body before being implanted into the womb. IVF opened up the possibility for infertile parents to have their own biologically related children. But Brown’s family was also subjected to vicious hate mail, and groups opposed to IVF warned it would be used for eugenic experiments leading to a dystopian future where all babies would be genetically engineered.
Why is research on embryos controversial?
The reaction in the U.S. had another layer to it when compared to other developed countries. Here, research on embryos has historically been linked to the debate on abortion. The 1973 Supreme Court decision to make abortion legal in Roe v. Wade fueled anti-abortion groups, who also oppose research on human embryos.
Embryonic research and procedures offer the hope of eliminating devastating diseases, but scientists also destroy embryos in the process.
Did congress issued a moratorium on federally funded clinical research on embryos and embryonic tissue?
Under pressure from these groups over the ethical implications of embryo creation and destruction, Congress issued a moratorium in 1974 on federally funded clinical research on embryos and embryonic tissue, including on IVF, infertility and prenatal diagnosis. To this day, federal funds are still not available for this type of work.
In hindsight, the sharp media attention and negative response from anti-abortion groups to IVF didn’t accurately represent overall public opinion.
In hindsight, the sharp media attention and negative response from anti-abortion groups to IVF didn’t accurately represent overall public opinion. The majority of Americans (60 percent) were in favor of IVF when polled in August 1978, and 53 percent of those polled said they would be willing to try IVF if they were unable to have a child.
So while the intense media coverage at the time helped inform the public of this new development, the insensitive labeling of Louise Brown as a “test-tube baby” and warnings about dystopian results didn’t stop Americans from forming positive opinions of IVF.
How many babies were born due to assisted reproductive technologies ?
Advancements in assisted reproductive technologies have happened rapidly over the last few decades, leading to over five million births worldwide.
How will precision 3D printing and advanced microscopes help embryos health?
Artificial intelligence already plays a role in the complex laboratory process, and its uses are likely to grow. Precision 3D printing and advanced microscopes also have the potential to help identify embryos more likely to result in a healthy pregnancy.
How can AI be used to embryo selection?
“You can teach, mathematically using AI, software to look at features of an embryo that led to a pregnancy versus one that did not,” Sakkas says. He likens the technology to the facial recognition feature on a smartphone: “We’re hoping to do that with images or videos of embryos.”
Even two embryologists in the same lab may grade the same embryo differently. How do you train a machine to perform a subjective task?
Current algorithms use just a bit of the data collected from a time-lapse incubator – a gadget that takes real-time images of an embryo’s development – failing to paint a full picture of its health.
As scientists study how well AI can compete with embryologists, Gardner and Sakkas argue that the combination of human and machine intelligence in embryo selection could be the key to not only maximizing successful pregnancies but also reducing the time it takes people struggling with infertility to conceive.
How much does an IVF cycle cost?
Another goal of automation is to make IVF cheaper and more geographically accessible to prospective parents. In the United States, a single cycle of IVF costs an average of $10,000-$15,000, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Only 14 states require insurance to cover at least part of the procedure – meaning many people must pay out of pocket. As of 2013, about 40% of reproductive-age women nationwide – more than 25 million – lived in areas with limited or no access to ART clinics.
How much does it cost to get pregnant by IVF?
A single IVF cycle—defined as ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval and embryo transfer—can range from $15,000 to $30,000, depending on the center and the patient’s individual medication needs. Medications can account for up to 35% of those charges. At best, this price tag is daunting.
How is IVF embryos conceived versus naturally conceived embryos?
We grow the embryos in a polystyrene dish – just as a tissue culture is done – and they sit in a drop of medium,” Gardner says. “It’s a static system; nothing happens. The embryo sits there and grows, and that’s been the way for 40-odd years.”
By contrast, a naturally conceived embryo is always on the move, exchanging biochemical signals with its parent as it travels from a fallopian tube to the uterus.
How has CRISPR gene editing helped certain issues?
The technology has been celebrated throughout the scientific community as a significant advancement that is changing the way research is done across fields. CRISPR has been used to experiment with gene-edited mosquitos to reduce the spread of malaria, for engineering agriculture to withstand climate change, and in human clinical trials to treat a range of diseases, from cancer to transthyretin amyloidosis, a rare protein disorder that devastates nerves and organs.
