WITHIN a few years it could be possible to boost the success of IVF by
checking for major chromosomal abnormalities before embryos are transferred to
the womb.
“Potentially, this is a major advance,” says Mark Johnson of Imperial
College, London. At present, it is only possible to check a handful of
chromosomes. But by adapting existing techniques, Joy Delhanty and Dagan Wells
of University College London were able to check all the chromosomes in 12
three-day-old embryos.
Abnormalities were surprisingly common, Delhanty says. Only three of the 12
embryos had the right number of chromosomes in all their cells.
The…
