Barcelona, .- A new technique that activates the ability of sperm to fertilize by reproducing in the laboratory the process that occurs naturally in the reproductive tract of women has produced the first baby, born in Argentina, with this new method, developed by the medical technology start-up Fecundis, from the Barcelona Science Park.
The first clinical study to validate the new technique has concluded with the birth of a child of patients with a long history of infertility and opens the doors to an increase in the success rates of assisted reproduction treatments, as explained by the expert in reproductive medicine Rita Vassena, CEO of Fecundis.
The new technique increases the number of high-quality embryos from treated spermatozoa by 63%, which would cut the time and cost of assisted reproduction treatments in half, in which usually only one in three results. in a birth
According to Vassena, to improve these results, attention has historically been focused on the ovum, but it has been shown that the activity of the semen contributes beyond fertilization and that its activity is key to good embryo development and success. of the treatments.
The baby was born in Argentina as a result of treatment at the In Vitro Clinic in Buenos Aires, which collaborates in the research together with CONICET and the National University of Rosario, while two other pregnancies achieved with the same technique are currently in their third quarter.
ACTIVATE SPERM
The sperm activation technique developed by Fecundis, called HyperSperm, reproduces in the sperm the same biochemical changes that are naturally generated in the female reproductive tract during spontaneous fertilization.
These changes allow the sperm to acquire a movement capacity called hyperactivation, which is critical for the success of fertilization and which, however, is not reproduced correctly with current assisted reproduction techniques.
“In assisted reproduction clinics, in general, little attention is paid to sperm and we lack standardized semen handling protocols,” according to Vassena.
“Increasingly we understand that the role of the spermatozoon goes beyond fertilization and can affect the development of the embryos and even the success of the pregnancies; We have developed our treatment with this new look at the male gamete, with the aim of maximizing the success of the treatments for all patients”, he added.
For years, the spermatozoon has been considered a mere means of transport for the father’s genetic contribution to the embryo.
“Today we know that the functions of the spermatozoon go far beyond just providing the oocyte with paternal genetic material”, highlighted the biologist Dario Krapf, head of the R+D+i area at Fecundis.
According to Krapf, the molecular processes that take place after ejaculation (sperm capacitation) have a crucial effect on the correct development of the embryo.
PILOT TEST IN 2022
To test the viability of the technique in a context of infertility treatment, Fecundis began a pilot trial in Argentina in 2022, where the company carries out part of its activity and where they selected 10 infertile couples with a long history of infertility treatments. vitro (IVF) without success, and who resorted to a new treatment with donor eggs.
To carry out the study, the eggs of each couple were divided into two groups: half were fertilized using the usual technique, while the other half were fertilized after treating the semen with HyperSperm.
Thus they found that spermatozoa treated with HyperSperm generated 63% more high-quality embryos compared to controls.
However, the researchers have pointed out that this is a pilot study of limited size and scope, but they are already preparing larger trials.
The Fecundis company, based in the Barcelona Science Park, was founded in 2022 by Rita Vassena, who was the scientific director of the Eugin Group, and the scientists Mariano Buffone and Dario Krapf, specialized in researching sperm biology. EFE
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