Selecting Embryos
Doctors who perform in vitro fertilization typically rely on a visual assessment of the embryos when deciding which ones to transfer into the uterus, but two-thirds of such embryos fail to implant. A new test analyzes the proteins and small-molecule metabolites in the fluid surrounding each embryo and compares the resulting metabolic profile with that of a healthy embryo. The test improves implantation rates up to 30 percent. That means doctors can transfer fewer embryos, reducing the chances of an undesired multiple pregnancy.
Courtesy of Molecular Biometrics
Product: ViaMetrics-E
Cost: $30,000 to $50,000 for the testing system in the U.S. market. (Tests will not add appreciably to the typical cost of $12,000 to $15,000 for an IVF treatment.)
Availability: Now in the U.K., Australia, Japan, Ireland, and Greece; seeking FDA approval in the U.S.
Source: www.molecularbiometrics.com
Company: Molecular Biometrics
Keep Reading
Most Popular
This startup wants to copy you into an embryo for organ harvesting
With plans to create realistic synthetic embryos, grown in jars, Renewal Bio is on a journey to the horizon of science and ethics.
VR is as good as psychedelics at helping people reach transcendence
On key metrics, a VR experience elicited a response indistinguishable from subjects who took medium doses of LSD or magic mushrooms.
This nanoparticle could be the key to a universal covid vaccine
Ending the covid pandemic might well require a vaccine that protects against any new strains. Researchers may have found a strategy that will work.
This artist is dominating AI-generated art. And he’s not happy about it.
Greg Rutkowski is a more popular prompt than Picasso.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.