COCULTURE WITH ASSISTED HATCHING OF HUMAN EMBRYOS USING BUFFALO RAT-LIVER CELLS

Commercially obtained Buffalo rat liver (BRL) cells were grown in mono layer culture, The effect of BRL cell coculture with assisted hatching on embryo development, implantation and pregnancy was investigated in a population of 200 'first-time' in-vitro fertilization (IVF) patient s, subdivided into three groups according to the methods of fertilizat ion [IVF; intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI); ICSI/IVF], Assisted hatching was performed on all embryos chosen for transfer, Following co-culture, the overall embryo quality, implantation rate and pregnanc y rates were not significantly different from the controls, However. w hen grouped according to fertilization method, co-culture was found to have an impact on pregnancy and implantation rates in the group under going conventional IVF. Using co-culture with assisted hatching, we we re able to achieve a 58% (38/65) clinical pregnancy rate with a 49% (3 2/65) live birth rate and a 26% (60/235) implantation rate, No changes in the pregnancy and implantation rates were apparent in ICSI or ICSI /IVF subgroups. This is the first prospective, randomly controlled stu dy which reports the use of BRL cell co-culture for human IVF for a la rge number of patients undergoing IVF for the first time.