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Reprogenetics LLC provides Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) to Infertility centers and individuals. Although the company was created in 2000, the director, Dr. Santiago Munné, and the scientific team have been involved in PGD for more than a decade. The group has been active since 1991, developing this procedure and providing PGD services at Cornell University (NY), and later at Saint Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston, NJ). Reprogenetics was formed when it was decided to make a separate service, offering the innovative procedure to any IVF program that wants to provide their patients with the best PGD services.
Reprogenetics headquarters is in Livingston, NJ. Reprogenetics also has laboratories in Barcelona, Spain ( www.reprogeneticsspain.com), Kobe, Japan (www.reprogenetics.jp; www.pgd.co.jp), Lima, Peru (www.reprogenetics.com.pe), Oxford, UK (www.reprogenetics.co.uk), and Hamburg, Germany (www.reprogenetics.de).
HOW PGD WORKS
Embryos produce through in vitro fertilization can be tested by Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis to avoid the replacement of abnormal embryos and to improve the odds of conceiving. PGD consists of the biopsy of a single cell of an 8-cell embryo or 3-10 from a blastocyst stage embryo (150 cells), followed by its genetic diagnosis using different techniques (FISH, PCR, CGH, array CGH, SNP arrays). Subsequently those embryos classified by genetic diagnosis as normal are replaced to the patient.
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM PGD
Reprogenetics has the largest experience in Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, and based on that experience, published in over 100 scientific publications, the following types of patient can benefit significantly:
- Women of 35 and older: IVF patients 35 years of age or older can expect to have an increased implantation rate, reduced spontaneous abortion rate, and lower their risk of chromosomally abnormal conceptions after PGD [37; 38; 64; 88; 94; 111; 122].
- Couples that have failed two achieve implantation after two or more IVF cycles [120; 122]
- Couples with a prior history of repeated spontaneous abortion. Regardless of age, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis can offer these patients a reduced risk of spontaneous abortion and chromosomally abnormal conceptions (Munné et al. 2004, Prenat. Diagn. 24:638-647; 65, 82, 88, 109; 118].
- Carriers of gene disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Tay Sachs disease, Myotonic Dystrophy, Cystic fibrosis, Sickle cell anemia, Hemophilia, Thalassaemia, Fragile X syndrome, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and any other disorder with an identified mutation can significantly reduce the risk of conceiving an affected baby. Also, through HLA matching, PGD can help select embryos that are histocompatible with live siblings [112].
- Carriers of chromosome translocations, or other chromosome abnormalities. Translocation carriers can benefit from Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis by obtaining a dramatically reduced risk of miscarriage and chromosomally abnormal offspring [24, 42, 52, 91, 99, 118].
- Other indications: PGD is also being offered to patients for family balancing [114], patients with extreme male factor [61], egg donor cycles [90, 106], patients with a previous chromosomally abnormal fetus [72], and other patients either at risk of producing a high rate of chromosome abnormalities, or that want to reduce their risk of conceiving a chromosomally abnormal fetus.
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OUR EXPERIENCE IS SECOND TO NONE
Our personnel have been performing PGD since 1991 and were the first to develop PGD tests for aneuploidy and translocations. To date Reprogenetics has performed diagnosis of over 20,000 PGD cycles, more than any other PGD laboratory.
When performed by Reprogenetics, PGD significantly increases implantation rates and decreases spontaneous abortions [37; 38; 64; 65, 82, 88, 94; 111; 109; 118; 122], a record unmatched by any other Preimplantation Genetics Diagnosis reference center.
Reprogenetics was the first Laboratory, and still one of the few, to be licensed by the State of New York Department of Health to perform Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis for any indication (aneuploidy, translocations, gene defects), which at present is the only agency in the US regulating PGD.
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THE BEST SERVICE
Reprogenetics provides PGD services to more than 150 IVF centers in the US, including most of those with the best pregnancy outcomes.
Embryo biopsy and fixation services
Specialists at Reprogenetics train embryologists to perform biopsy and fixation procedures, and can place a trained embryologist in any laboratory at short notice to perform biopsy and fixation, working with IVF Labs, LLC.
PGD for all chromosome abnormalities
Reprogenetics is now offering PGD through a well validated technique called array CGH. This technique can detect all individual chromosome abnormalities and also translocations and has a higher resolution than a regular karyotype. This technique is currently used in prenatal diagnosis of minute abnormalities causing mental retardation, and now we have adapted it to PGD. Preliminary results with CGH show a significant increase in implantation rates [122].
This test can be combined with polar body, day 3 biopsy or day 5 biopsy and it provides results in a 24 hour turn-around time.
PGD of aneuploidy
Reprogenetics still offers simpler and cheaper means of selecting for the most common chromosome abnormalities. For example our 12 probe FISH tests can detect for 89% of the chromosome abnormalities reaching blastocyst stage [111, 115]. A simpler test with 9 FISH probes has been used for many years and in our hands has improved implantation rates and reduced miscarriage rates [38; 64; 65, 82, 88, 94; 109]. The simplest test consist of 5 FISH probes that detect those abnormalities at risk of reaching term pregnancy (XY,13,18,21).
PGD of Translocations
Reprogenetics' scientists have invented and developed most of the PGD approaches to translocations [21; 24; 26; 29, 32; 35; 63] and have the widest experience, with over 1500 PGD cycles for translocations performed to date. Our results indicate a significant reduced risk of miscarriage after PGD, and a negligible risk of an affected baby [24, 42, 52, 91, 99, 118].
Before translocation cycles can start, blood studies from the carrier as well as extensive test preparation are necessary, and therefore should be scheduled well in advance, coordinating through a genetic counselor.
PGD for translocations can now be combined with array CGH for simultaneous detection of translocations and any other chromosome aneuploidy.
PGD for Gene Defects
Reprogenetics offers Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis for any genetic disease, such as cystic fibrosis, fragile X, myotonic dystrophy, thalasaemia, Tay Sachs, etc provided that a mutation in the family has been previously identified. As for translocations, blood studies from both parents are required and should be scheduled in advance after consultation with a genetic counselor.
Reprogenetics laboratories are the only ones licensed to perform this service in New York state, the only state so far regulating PGD.
Reprogenetics is now also offering PGD for the simultaneous detection of gene defects and chromosome abnormalities using SNP arrays in collaboration with Dr. Alan Handyside.
Genetic Counseling and patient information
Pursuant to the New York State Civil Rights Law, informed consent is required for the performance of a genetic test on an individual and genetic counseling of the patient is recommended as part of the information. Such counseling is best given by the genetic counselors associated with the laboratory performing the testing. Genetic consultation is recommended for every PGD patient, and can be provided by phone along with documentation. For further questions or to arrange a consultation, please contact Jill M. Fischer MS, Director of Clinical Genetic Services of Reprogenetics at 973-4365015.
Reprogenetics provides brochures for patients and detailed protocols for sample preparation and case coordination, with a complete information package to aid patient information, including the latest unpublished data from ongoing research.
Reprogenetics can also link websites to ours (www.reprogenetics.com) to promote your center.
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FEES AND METHOD OF PAYMENT:
We have a flat fee per case, not per embryo. Please see our price list for current pricing. Reprogenetics prefers client relationships where the Fertility Center is billed for PGD services. While the patient can be billed directly, this must be in advance and requires disclosure of patient contact information.
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TO SET UP A REFERING CLINIC ACCOUNT:
Please call our Director of Client Services at 973-436-5012 or email kelly.ketterson@reprogenetics.com.
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“PGD Aimed At Helping You Make Informed Choices.”
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| PGD BREAKING NEWS |
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6/29/2010 (a)– At the annual meeting of European Society Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Rome, The ESHRE taskforce on PGD presented encouraging results on the use of PGD when using array CGH for testing human eggs by polar body analysis. | Read |
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6/29/2010 (b)– At the same ESHRE meeting in Rome, Reprogenetics presented results on using array CGH for the testing all numerical chromosome abnormalities in embryos. It reported a very low error rate and encouraging pregnancy outcomes. The error rate presented by Reprogenetics was lower than that reported by the ESHRE taskforce (see previous news). | Read |
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6/28/2010 – At the annual meeting of European Society Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Rome, The Director of Reprogenetics UK and Oxford University Professor Dagan Wells was honored with a Merck Serono Grant for Fertility Innovation (GFI), entitled “Rapid inexpensive DNA fragmentation analysis of sperm & cumulus cells” | Read |
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| 5/1/2010 - Reprogenetics is proud to announce and welcome Gary Harton as its new Manager of Molecular Genetics. |Read More |
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| 4/15/2010 - Reprogenetics and PracticeHwy.com, Inc. Announce Partnership to Offer a PGD Portal for eIVF. | Read More |
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| 1/15/2010 - Reprogenetics is proud to offer array CGH to detect all 24 chromosome aneuploidies. The test has NO CANCELLATION FEE, can be ordered on the day of the biopsy without pretesting of parents, has a very low 2% rate of embryos undiagnosed, and a very low error rate. Preliminary clinical data on a population of average 38 years of age showed that the technique reduced miscarriages to a mere 7%. | Read |
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| 1/20/2010 - Reprogenetics has determined that couples undergoing PGD for gender selection overwhelmingly do so for the purpose of family balancing, with an equal preference for both genders (Colls et al. 2009b). | Read |
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1/5/2010 - We have proven that although microarray technology can detect all aneuploidies in embryos, the simpler and cheaper FISH test, if modified, can detect up 90% of them. | Read |
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| Read previous ones |
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