The industrial background behind the researchers helps ensure that if the invention works from both a technical and biological point of view, the method can be used in practice as soon as possible.
The successful fertilization rates of the bottle baby program can increase by tens of percent thanks to a Hungarian invention, said József Bódis, research professor at the University of Pécs. The scientist has developed an incubator that can be used to determine the viability of an embryo so that it is only exposed to minimal danger. József Bódis is confident that they will soon receive the permits to carry out the experiments and that they will be able to apply the new method in practice as soon as possible.
The Hungarian-developed incubator, which we are currently working on, can increase the successful fertilization rates of the bottle baby program by tens of percent, which is currently only 35-40 percent, said József Bódis, head of the research group of the National Laboratory of Human Reproduction at the University of Pécs.
As the scientist pointed out,
today there are incubators that provide the environment necessary for the healthy development of the embryo, i.e. the right humidity and darkness.
The incubator is equipped with a camera that takes pictures of the different stages of the embryo's development, and these pictures are then compiled into a movie using the time-lapse method, i.e. by playing the pictures taken over a long period of time in a short period of time. From here, you can see the development process of the embryo, during the development of which the researchers noticed that if intense light hits the embryo, cell division slows down or stops.
This phenomenon raised the question of how the development of the embryo could be controlled without the use of light, since the embryo would not be exposed to the risk of injury.
Thanks to a coincidence, József Bódis came across an advertisement of a Japanese company producing the best photon cameras in the world. The high-resolution photon cameras they produced made it possible for the scientist to finally capture a photon at the end of the lens.
This is of particular importance because it is possible to draw conclusions about how the embryo will develop from the extremely low-energy photon emission.
The research leader borrowed a photon camera worth roughly HUF 60 million from the company, for which he acquired a perfectly matching microscope incubator, although at that time, using the camera's own software, it was not yet possible to see the photon he was looking for. The physicist companion of the research leader helped them to visualize the light emission of the embryo using three different analytical methods. The experiment was carried out on mouse embryos, and the result was immediately protected by a patent.
József Bódis pointed out: the incubator under development will have photon detection, infrared detection and light time-lapse, the latter is very minimal, compared to the currently commercially available machines, the light load on the embryo is only one thousandth. Combining these three registration methods is the difficulty, but this is what makes the incubator developed in Pécs special.
All three are needed in order to extract the most correct possible image and data from the extremely weak energy emission of the photon, on the basis of which they can determine which embryo is the most viable.
- emphasized the researcher.
The scientist stated: the incubator is physically ready, the corresponding software development is currently underway, and a photon detector is also being made that is more sensitive than the one the professor and his team worked with before. - If these are completed, we will also be able to carry out basic research, which would be a wonderful opportunity - stated József Bódis.
He added that the researchers have an industrial background, which helps ensure that if the invention works from both a technical and biological point of view, and the necessary permits are obtained, the method can be used in practice as soon as possible.
According to Hungarian regulations, tests must first be conducted on mice, and then permission for human use can be requested.
"I am confident that in the first half of next year we will be able to carry out mouse experiments with our own new device and submit the application for permission to the Health Science Council to continue setting physical parameters different from those of mice on humans. If it goes well with the mouse, then we won't have a hard time with humans either," opined the head of the research group.
József Bódis recalled: when the bottle baby program started in Hungary in 1988, there were many twin pregnancies and miscarriages, and today the pregnancy rate has improved a lot, although still not to the desired extent.
In general, the viability and fertilizability of oocytes in women decreases sharply after the age of 35, and on average it drops to around zero by the age of 42. This cannot be changed, but today the profession is prepared so that if a woman lives her life consciously, she can freeze either an embryo or an ovum at the peak of her reproductive age, which she can use later, thereby increasing the chance of conception.
– We can't lie or outwit biology either, but there are techniques that could be used wisely.
I'm not saying that this is the right way, because women should still give birth at their reproductive age, but let's not punish those who missed it. Technology can provide many things, but it cannot overcome biological limitations. With our discovery and development, we offer the best embryos in the best position, the professor pointed out.
Cover image source: Pixabay.com
