Research may boost IVF success rate

Higher success rates for in-vitro fertilisation may result from a University PhD student’s research into measurements to assess the quality of eggs. Gabe Redding, who graduates with a Doctor of Philosophy in bioprocess engineering this afternoon, described his research as a novel integration of reproductive biology and engineering.

“The objective was to investigate tools and technologies that can be used to select the best eggs during IVF,” Dr Redding says. “The work focused on the oxygen levels in the follicle as a measure of egg quality.”

In addition to finding that current IVF techniques can expose the eggs to potentially detrimental temperature drops, Dr Redding investigated devices for measuring oxygen levels in the follicle. Such devices may enable the best eggs to be selected.

At present, most IVF clinics only use visual grading of the eggs after they are harvested and later similar checks on quality of the embryos. “But IVF could be dramatically changed if there was some measure of egg or embryos quality,” Dr Redding says.

Dr Redding’s study was undertaken as part of a wider programme contract awarded to AgResearch by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, titled Advanced tools for the problem of infertility in women. His PhD was carried out through the University’s Institute of Technology and Engineering, supervised by Associate Professor John Bronlund and Dr Alan Hart (AgResearch).

Dr Redding is continuing to work on the project, including extending the mathematical models which he developed for oxygen to consider other substances which may be important to the egg.

“The long-term goal is to fully explore the contribution engineering can make to improving the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF. The work is really novel because reproductive biology and engineering are two disciplines which are seldom paired.”

Dr Redding, who is aged 27, is originally from Napier.