Chapter 27 - Analysis of embryo metabolism and the metabolome to identify the most viable embryo within a cohort

Summary

The phenomenal advances in proteomics and metabolomics in recent years, analysis of single embryo physiology, through non-invasive methods, are rapidly becoming a reality. Changes in embryo metabolism during the preimplantation period reflect the activation of the embryonic genome, the increased requirement for biosynthesis associated with division and differentiation, and the creation of a blastocoel in preparation for implantation. Loss of metabolic regulation occurs under suboptimal culture conditions and is associated with loss of embryo viability. Quantitating metabolic activity in the embryo is also of value in assessing the potential viability of an embryo prior to transfer. With relative abundance of data showing the relationship between embryo development and viability and carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, one may stop to consider why there has not been more clinical application of such work. An area of rapid advancement is that of microfluidics, also known as laboratory on a chip.