The Melbourne Newsroom

Australian scientists have developed a potentially groundbreaking new measure of the health of an embryo and the likelihood of a successful pregnancy in IVF treatment.

The research could lead to significantly improved birth rates in IVF to help the one in six Australian couples experiencing infertility to achieve their dream of parenthood.

It also has the potential to predict the gender of an embryo prior to implantation.

A study of identical twins shows that a rare genetic form of epilepsy can be caused by a genetic mutation that occurs in the embryo, and not necessarily passed down from parents.

Recently, The Age reported in ‘DNA first gives hope on genetic diseases’ (see here)that research by Newcastle University in the UK had shown that embryos created with two mothers may offer a breakthrough that could eradicate a host of hereditary diseases.

Last week, New York became the first state in America to allow scientists to pay women for donating their eggs for use in stem cell research, triggering further ethical debate.