Human eggs 'rejuvenated' in lab trial may reduce age-related IVF defects

Researchers report that microinjecting the protein Shugoshin 1 into donated human eggs lowered the rate of an age-related chromosome defect from 53% to 29% overall, and the work is being presented at the British Fertility Conference and published as a preprint on bioRxiv.

Scientists report reducing an age-related chromosome defect in human eggs by supplementing them with a protein. The team performed microinjections of the protein Shugoshin 1 into eggs donated by fertility patients and observed fewer defects in treated eggs. Declining egg quality is a key reason IVF success falls with female age and is the background for this research. The findings were presented at the British Fertility Conference and published as a preprint on bioRxiv. Key findings: - Researchers microinjected the protein Shugoshin 1 into human eggs donated by fertility patients. - The proportion of eggs showing the age-related chromosome defect fell from 53% in control eggs to 29% in treated eggs. - In eggs from women over 35, the defect rate was reported as 65% in controls versus 44% in treated eggs; this result was not statistically significant and was based on nine treated eggs. - The work was presented at the British Fertility Conference and published as a preprint on bioRxiv. - The team said the approach would not extend fertility beyond menopause and is discussing a clinical trial with regulators. Summary: If replicated in larger studies, the reported reduction in chromosome defects would be relevant to measures of egg quality used in IVF, though it remains to be shown whether treated eggs lead to embryos with fewer genetic errors. The researchers are in discussions with regulators about clinical testing, and further trials and confirmation are the next steps.