How to screen the babies of three generations of test tube babies?
The third generation IVF technology is an advanced assisted reproductive technology, which can prevent or reduce the occurrence of some genetic diseases through genetic screening during in vitro fertilization. Its role is not limited to the treatment of infertility, but also can provide couples with choice of high-quality sperm and eggs to ensure that their offspring do not suffer from certain specific genetic diseases. So, how are the three generations of IVF babies screened? The following four aspects will be described in detail, including genetic disease risk, embryo genetic screening, embryo quality assessment, and detection of fertilized eggs before transfer.
One aspect: genetic disease risk
Before the screening of three generations of IVF, the risk assessment of genetic diseases in couples or families should be carried out first. Through the collection and analysis of family genetic disease history, doctors can draw the risk of chromosome aberration or single gene genetic disease in a couple's offspring. If there is a high risk of genetic diseases in couples, the third generation IVF technology is a good choice.
Take Peking Union Medical College Hospital as an example. They provide genetic diagnosis and genetic counseling services, and can conduct genetic disease risk assessment for couples. The doctor will ask the couple's family genetic history in detail and carry out relevant genetic tests to determine the risk of genetic diseases. Based on these data, doctors can provide professional genetic counseling and advice to couples to help them make the right choice.
Aspect 2: Embryonic genetic screening
After in vitro fertilization, doctors will take several cells from the embryo for genetic screening. This kind of screening is to determine whether the embryo has some genetic diseases by detecting the chromosome structure and genome variation of embryonic cells.
For example, Chengdu West China Hospital uses a new generation of high-throughput sequencing technology to screen embryos and analyze and interpret sequencing data through bioinformatics algorithms. This embryonic genetic screening can simultaneously diagnose multiple chromosome abnormalities and single gene genetic diseases, improving the accuracy and reliability of screening.
According to the genetic information of embryos, doctors can assess the health of embryos and select healthy embryos for implantation, so as to improve the success rate of pregnancy and reduce the risk of genetic diseases.
Aspect 3: embryo quality assessment
In addition to genetic screening, the quality of embryos also needs to be assessed. The embryo quality assessment is mainly based on the appearance characteristics and internal structure of the embryo. Generally, the more normal the embryo, the better the development, and the greater the possibility of success after implantation.
In the Reproductive Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, doctors use electron microscopy and photo analysis system to evaluate the quality of embryos. They will observe the cell number, cell morphology, cell arrangement and other aspects of the embryo, and combine automated algorithms to quantitatively score them, so as to select the embryo with the most development potential.
Aspect 4: Detection of fertilized eggs before transplantation
In three generation IVF technology, chromosome screening of fertilized eggs is usually required before embryo transfer. This screening technique can detect whether an embryo carries certain chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome.
Wuhan Tongji Hospital provides gene diagnosis and genetic consulting services. They use precision sequencing technology to sequence the DNA of fertilized eggs and identify chromosomal abnormalities through bioinformatics analysis. This detection method is highly accurate and reliable, which can help couples choose healthy fertilized eggs for transplantation and reduce the risk of embryo transfer failure and genetic disease.
Summary
Through genetic disease risk assessment, embryonic genetic screening, embryo quality assessment and pre fertilization egg transfer testing, the three generation IVF babies can be comprehensively screened to ensure their health and genetic quality. These screening methods are not only leading in science, but also have been widely used and verified in clinical practice. They provide couples with more choices so that they can create a healthy next generation.
