Hartshorne said there are several reasons why embryos don’t make it to the lab. Part of the problem is that most IVF cycles are performed in clinics that are not affiliated with academic research centers.
Currently, embryos tend to be kept at the clinic where they are created. Getting embryos to research centers can be difficult. Clinic staff don’t have the time, energy or brainpower to manage the legally required paperwork to get embryos donated to certain research projects, Hartshorne said. It would make more sense to have a large, central embryo bank where people could donate embryos for research, she added.
A particular problem is the documentation process. The UK is rightly praised for its tough approach to the regulation of reproductive technology, and embryologists around the world tend to describe it as ‘world-leading’, but the level of hassle it has to deal with bureaucracy, Hartshorne said. “If a patient contacts me and says, ‘I want to donate my embryos or eggs to your research project,’ I usually have to say no, because it takes a year to go through the necessary paperwork. ” she says. .
Perhaps a balance needs to be struck. Research on embryos can be extremely valuable. As the movie Joy reminds us, it can transform medical practice and change lives.
“Without research, there is no progress and no change,” Hartshorne said. “I don’t think that’s ever what IVF or reproductive science should be aiming for.”
Now read the rest of ‘The Checkup’
Read more from the MIT Technology Review archives
Scientists are working on ways to create embryos from stem cells without using eggs or sperm. How far should we allow these embryo-like structures to develop?
The researchers implanted these “synthetic embryos” into monkeys. So far, they have been able to produce a short-term pregnancy-like response, but not a fetus.
Some people are trying to impregnate cows with artificial embryos. Reproductive biologist Karl Jan’s first goal is to achieve a cow pregnancy that lasts 30 days.