# Article 'Synthetic spark of life is new hope for IVF couples'



## Hope30 (Sep 15, 2012)

Hi 
Check out this article that my partner found in the Times yesterday.

Scientists have produced a synthetic version of a crucial sperm protein that provides the "spark of life"when an egg is fertilised.
The research promises to improve fertility treatments for couples who struggle to conceive.  The artificial version of the protein could be used in a new enhanced form of IVF to kick start fertility in men who would otherwise be unable to father children.
It is known that male infertility can be the result of a genetic mutation that results in sperm lacking the protein PLCz, which triggers the process by which an egg starts dividing to form an embryo.  This means that even when the sperm is injected directly into the egg in an IVF procedure, the egg fails to activate.
The latest findings suggest that adding the synthetic version of PLCz could significantly improve the chance of a pregnancy in such cases.  Professor Tony Lai, who led the research at Cardiff University said "we know that some men are infertile because their sperm fail to activate eggs.  Even though their sperm fuses with the egg, nothing happens.  This sperm may lack a proper functioning version of PLCz.
Currently this type of male infertilitycan be missed, as such men would typically have a normal sperm count and sperm would not look defective.
However it could explain the failure of IVF for between 1,000 and 2,000 couples in the UK each year.
Allan Pacey, Senior Lecturer in Androloy at the University of Sheffield described the research as a significant step forward "Of the 50,000 IVF cycles each year, failed fertilisation occurs around 3-4 per cent of the time and i would expect a good portion to be down to this", he said "it can be devastating for couples when IVF fails and for some of those couples this could provide a solution."
The study was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.  Scientists inserted the normal human PLCz gene into bacteria, making it produce the PLCz protein, using a similar technique to how human insulin is produced in the laboratory.  The researchers now hope to develop a screening test to identify couples for whom conventional IVF is unlikely to work due to defective PLCz with a clinical application of their technique.
"Whilst this was a lab experiment and our method could not be used in a fertility clinic in exactly the same way, there is potential to translate this advance into humans", Professor Lai said.  "In future we would produce and use it to stimulate egg activation in completely natural way.  For those couples going through IVF treatment, it could ultimately improve their chances".


Wow that took me ages to write.  This has been of particular interest to me as we have had two failed ICIS.  We have male fertility problems and for some unknown reason our eggs don't make it to Blasto.  We have just had gene testing and our waiting for our results.  Anyone else out there in the same sort of situation?

Zoe


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## jo_11 (Apr 1, 2009)

Hi,

Thanks for posting this. I've now read the whole study, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2567839/

The article's talking about failure to fertilise, or abnormal fertilisation. From your signature it doesn't look like this is your issue (although I may be missing something).

DH and I also have a problem with getting to blast though and have just been down the route of looking deeper into sperm issues... annoyingly clinics have always put us off saying that ICSI 'fixes' everything - wrong!  Having undertaken all tests now, we know the problem is High DNA Stainability (which means excessive immature sperm which can't make competent embryos), so we're looking into PICSI.

Happy to discuss anything on here, or feel free to PM me 

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## urbangirl (Jul 28, 2010)

Really interesting, can't believe you typed the whole thing out, but thank you!


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## Hope30 (Sep 15, 2012)

I know it took me ages! 😄


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