Dutch Scientists Awarded for IVF Research
Dutch scientists awarded for revolutionary IVF research
Scientists working at the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, have won a prize for their research on IVF, using the EmbryoScope (embryo monitoring system). Their work has been called "the future of IVF".
The scientists have won the European award given by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE); this is the third time the centre has been recognised by the ESHRE. The IVF analysts Sanne de Jong, Amy Down, Christine Werken, Jeroen Speksnijder and Esther Baart make up the Reproductive Medicine team who were awarded the prize.
The EmbryoScope detects and monitors embryos without removing them from their protected environment. This aids doctors and medical researchers in choosing the most suitable embryos when selecting them for IVF treatments.
Before the EmbryoScope was developed, doctors and scientists could only assess the progress of embryos through a limited and brief glimpse at defined time points in their growth. An extended look would usually harm and disturb the embryo’s environment. The EmbryoScope allows the professionals to extensively monitor the cells, determining whether they are healthy enough to use or not, in a safe and controlled environment.
The monitoring system enables scientists to observe up to 72 embryos at a time. The high quality, instant and continuous overview and multiple focal planes give the doctors a better understanding and insight into the embryo. Every 20 minutes the device takes a picture of the growing embryo, letting medical professionals look at the physical condition of the cells without needing to use a microscope and, when all of the pictures are put together, the growth can be seen as a true-life moving image.
Revolutionary Thinking
The scientists were given the award for a presentation on the scope of embryos, explaining the development of the cells which are placed into the womb. Clinical embryologist, Esther Baart, believes that this type of embryo development is the future for IVF treatment and the EmbryoScope has revolutionised medics’ thinking on the topic.
Jeroen Speksnijder, an IVF analyst from the centre, declared that the EmbryoScope is available and ready to use clinically in the Netherlands after he and his team first tested the EmbryoScope on the embryos of mice. Their research was successful and the scientists declared that the equipment is safe to use in the Netherlands. The device is already being used in Spain, Denmark and Sweden and is receiving glowing reviews.
The scientists work at the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, which is the largest and most adaptable university medical centre in the Netherlands. By 2013 the centre wishes to become one of the top 20 medical institutes in the world. The organisation has three main departments in patient care, research and education. The awarded scientists are from the research department.
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