의학연구소>최신연구활동
EmbryoScope, which is used in Maria Fertility Hospital, is the only system that is approved for clinical purposes in Europe and by the FDA in the United States. This system can check and record images of the generation process of all embryos without their exposure outside of culture medium before transfer. We contribute to increasing the pregnancy rate by screening for the best embryos using a program based on accumulated data.
Existing ICSI has a limitation in screening morphologically perfect sperm since it performs fertilization on sperm magnified 200~400 times, but we obtain high fertilization and pregnancy rates by using special high-resolution equipment to the case of failed fertilization in a general micromanipulation procedure or patient with a low fertilization rate.
Magnifies 200~400 times
with general microscope
Magnifies over 6,600 times with
special high-resolution microscope
The abnormal characteristics (yellow arrow) of sperm that cannot be observed with a general microscope can be observed with the latest special high-resolution microscope.
PICSI is a method that screens mature sperm and micro-manipulates it using a hyaluronan-coated device based on a natural combination of ovum and mature sperm, which is at a selection stage in natural fertilization.
This is a micromanipulation procedure that selects mature sperm and injects them, complementing the limitation of ICSI that injects sperm considering only morphology and motility.
Mature sperm attached
to hyaluronan are selected
and injected into the ovum with
the micromanipulation procedure
Maria Fertility Hospital has recently been using super-precision laser, which is widely used for medical procedures, in assisted hatching. The principle of laser-assisted hatching is similar to the use of lasers in sight correction procedures (LASIK, LASEK, etc.) which are well-known ophthalmic procedures. In other words, this is a technique that shaves off some of the zona pellucida that surrounds the ovum with a laser and thus helps the embryo burst through more easily.
Assisted hatching using a laser is the latest technique that can increase pregnancy and implantation rates by minimizing harmful factors for embryos compared to the existing assisted hatching that was used in IVF centers and providing a more stable environment for embryos and helping hatching by shortening the duration of the procedure.
· When the zona pellucida of the embryo is thick
· Women aged over 38 who undergo IVF
· When IVF fails repeatedly
· When the amount of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in blood is high
LAH procedure
Zona pellucida
before LAH procedure
Zona pellucida that became
thin after LAH procedure
IVM is a procedure that is used mainly for patients who have more than 10 egg follicles that are small (polycystic ovarian syndrome) without using superovulation injection, unlike IVF, which grows follicles using superovulation injection and then extracts them.
This procedure can prevent the side effects caused by the use of superovulation injection such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and is simple and its cost is low. The pregnancy rate is also similar to that of IVF.
The subfertility medical research division of Maria Fertility Hospital has developed a special culture solution that matures immature ova in vitro with continuous research and efforts and has published the most clinical cases in the world in domestic and foreign academic journals.
Immature ovum
Mature ovum after
in vitro culture
In vitro fertilization (ICSI)
Transferred embryo
In the past, the FISH method was used when genetic testing was conducted by using a fluorescent probe on specific chromosomes. However, this has a limitation of testing only selected chromosomes. Recently, PGS, which can examine any abnormality in all chromosomes, was developed in Europe and the U.S.
Currently, the subfertility medical research division of Maria Fertility Hospital is making efforts for healthy babies by performing research and development on PGS and applying it in a clinical setting.PGD is a technique that performs in vitro fertilization of ovum and sperm, picks one or two blastomeres from an eight-cell stage embryo or blastocyst-stage embryo, and conducts chromosome examination of genetic testing to screen for a normal fertilized egg and then transfers and implants it for pregnancy.
Although this is the same as PGD in that it takes part of a fertilized embryo to conduct a genetic test, it examines a total of 46 chromosomes to see if there are numerical chromosome aberrations, damage or amplification using array CGH technology. This is a more sensitive and accurate testing method.
The current in vitro fertilization procedure induces embryogenesis in culture medium in an environment that is too static. The ovum and embryo are exposed various external stimuli in natural pregnancy such as body fluid flow, sperm flagellar movement, uterine contractions, and ciliary movement. Such external stimuli are known to help embryogenesis and ultimately pregnancy.
We have obtained good results in embryogenesis in a preliminary experiment using mouse embryo and have improved pregnancy rates more than before by applying it to patients with a poor (low) ovarian response. We published this study in an overseas journal.
In the results of a preliminary experiment using an experimental mouse embryo, the new device showed more excellent results in both mitotic phase embryo and blastocyst-stage embryo than existing devices and it was confirmed to be appropriate for oocyte banking, the need for which is growing. We published this in a medical journal.