“The colleagues – explains Danilo Cimadomo, Science and Research Manager of GeneraLife – took the blood of 175 women, isolated the white blood cells and measured the length of the telomeres (the terminal sequences of the chromosomes that give them stability). The same wax done also with the somatic cells companion of the oocyte, called cumulus cells. They then compared these data with the rate of chromosomal abnormalities of the blastocysts obtained. Well, it was noticed that the length of telomeres in white blood cells could be predictive of a greater or lesser risk of chromosomal abnormalities in embryos; these data, although not statistically significant when adjusted for woman age, encourage further research aimed at identifying a minimally invasive marker (e.g. a blood test) of oocyte quality, useful for personalizing IVF treatments. A second very interesting element, confirmed by other evidence already published in literature, is the independence of the telomeres of the cumulus cells from woman age: the oocyte ages, but these companion cells do not, but they seem more stable. We consider both these observations worthy of future investigations, always aimed at improving IVF techniques”.
