Embryo DNA fingerprinting represents an important tool for tracking embryo-specific outcomes after multiple embryo transfer during IVF. The situation in which 2 embryos are transferred and only one implants represents a unique opportunity for the most well-controlled comparison of competent and incompetent embryos. Specifically, this design eliminates all patient-related variables from the comparison of embryos with or without reproductive potential. However, in order to determine which embryo implanted, the investigator must wait until newborn DNA is available upon delivery. This study validates a non-invasive fetal DNA fingerprinting method that reduces the time to identify which embryo implanted by approximately 31 weeks. Thirty-four patients were studied to determine if fingerprinting of fetal DNA extracted from maternal plasma at 9 gestational weeks concurred with the buccal DNA results obtained from the newborn after delivery. This validation required single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiles on each couples’ preimplantation embryos, enriched fetal DNA from maternal plasma at 9 weeks gestation, and newborn DNA obtained from buccal swabs after delivery. The predictions from fetal DNA-based embryo tracking and gender assignments made at 9 weeks gestation were 100% consistent with standardized methods of assessment performed after term delivery. This study demonstrates the first validated fetal DNA fingerprinting method which predicts both gender and which embryo implanted at 9 weeks gestation following multiple embryo transfer.
Overall design
Affymetrix SNP arrays were processed and successfully completed according to the manufacturer's directions on DNA extracted from 136 embryos, 33 parental blood samples, 17 enriched fetal DNA samples and 21 buccal DNA samples.
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