Fertility breakthrough brings new hope
Published: January 9, 2006
A MEDICAL breakthrough could end the heartache that many couples endure going through multiple IVF cycles to fall pregnant.
An Australian-based company has developed technology that promises to lift conception rates, helping struggling couples to conceive.
Biotechnology company Life Therapeutics has devised “cell separation technology” or a “sperm sorter”.
The sperm sorter is able to isolate healthy sperm from unhealthy sperm, significantly increasing the chance of pregnancy.
“The [technology's] most important feature is its ability to isolate the most healthy sperms with minimal DNA damage and cellular contamination in minutes,” said Life Therapeutics chief scientific officer Kailing Wang.
“This capability is revolutionary for fertility treatment.”
To get the healthy sperm, sperm samples are placed in a separation chamber which has in place an electric field.
The healthy sperm are more negatively charged and will be attracted to the positive electrodes. The unhealthy sperm will be isolated by their slower “electrophoretic mobility”.
“This technology produces better quality sperm and enhances the success rate of reproductive treatment,” Dr Wang said.
Clinical trials of the sperm sorter are expected to be held in April next year at the Westmead Fertility Centre.
The year-long trials would answer questions like whether or not the new technology would make it cheaper for couples using IVF in the future.
The Australian Medical Association obstetricians and gynaecology spokesman Andrew Pesce hopes the new technology will help women avoid some of the psychological traumas and added stresses they endure when undergoing IVF treatment.
“IVF completely dominates your life for several months. Anything, if it works, would be good,” Dr Pesce said.
For thousands of Australian couples, in-vitro fertilisation is a godsend, providing them with the chance to have children where it would otherwise not be possible.
But it can be a long, expensive and traumatic process. A study showed it cost on average $25,000 for women aged under 30 to have a baby using IVF. The cost rose to $183,000 for women aged over 42.
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