EMBRYO BIOPSY
WHAT IS AN EMBRYO BIOPSY?
Embryo biopsy is a technique that consists of removing several cells from the outer layer of the embryo (trophoectoderm) to be genetically analyzed.
We perform the biopsy at the blastocyst stage, so we have to leave the embryos in culture until their 5th day of development. The embryos that end up forming the blastocyst structure correctly are removed between 4 and 10 cells through a biopsy.
The embryos on their fifth day of development are formed by two structures: the Internal Cell Mass (ICM) and the Trophoectoderm (TFH).
In future development, the set of cells from the inner cell mass will give rise to the fetus, and the set of cells from the outer layer, the trophoectoderm, will give rise to the placenta. For this reason, the cells to be biopsied will always be from the trophoectoderm so as not to affect the cells that will form the future fetus.
By extracting some cells from the TFH we can analyze the genetic endowment of the embryo without compromising its future development and interpret that this set of cells represents the entire genetic endowment of the cells that make up the embryo.
To perform the biopsy we make a small hole in the outer membrane that surrounds the embryo (zona pellucida) with the help of a laser, and we aspirate a few TFH cells through a micropipette.
The cells removed during the biopsy will be genetically analyzed to assess whether they have a normal chromosome make-up and/or an inherited genetic disease.
The embryo will be frozen with the vitrification technique just after the biopsy waiting for the results. If it is genetically correct, this embryo can be transferred to the mother’s uterus giving a very high probability of pregnancy.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
It’s quite simple. All you have to do is contact Embriogyn and make an appointment with our specialists at the time that suits you best. In case you can’t come in person to the clinic, visits can also be arranged via Skype.