Fingerprinting Embryos
Savage Saga
The millions of couples striving to conceive a child have been watching the saga of Sean and Carolyn Savage with a great deal of anxiety and so have IVF clinicians. Carolyn underwent an IVF procedure only to discover that the implanted embryo was not her own. Who better than HRC Fertility, whose sole focus for more than two decades has been to develop the latest in reproductive technology, is equipped to prevent such an occurrence from ever happening again? Working in tandem with the Gene Security Network (GSN), the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), HRC Fertility has now developed a tool to ensure that a couple is implanted with the right embryos. They call this cutting edge reproductive technological advance Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis.
Shared Patterns
HRC Fertility uses GSN's Chromosome Aneuploidy Screening test with Parental Support, which was developed to find extra or missing chromosomes, as a means of obtaining the DNA patterns shared by both an embryo and its genetic parents. The same technology can then be used to compare these "fingerprints" to confirm or disprove that these share the same genetic makeup. That means that the test can be used in such a way as to provide parents with a guarantee that an embryo belongs to them. Speaking of the Savages, Daniel Potter, M.D., of HRC Fertility comments, "Had this technology been in place, the mix-up most certainly would have been avoided."
Held Accountable
The Savages decided to go public with their tragic story, hoping that no other couple would ever have to endure such a trauma again. The Savages have attained legal assistance to ensure that the clinic responsible for the mistake will be held accountable for its carelessness.
Heart Wrenching
As a consequence of the fertility clinic's error, Carolyn and Sean found themselves faced with two heart wrenching choices: They could choose to abort the pregnancy, acting against their religious sensibilities, or Carolyn could carry and deliver the fetus, and then hand the baby over to his real, biological parents.
Practical Insurance
GSN's Screening test can test all 24 chromosomes belonging to an embryo via just one DNA cell. Most tests require 5-10 DNA cells for greatest accuracy. In addition to verifying the genetic connection between embryo and genetic parentage, the test is practical insurance against the transfer of a defective aneuploid embryo.
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