Comparison Between Three Freezing Protocols to Preserve Human Embryos

NCT ID: NCT00910390

Last Updated: 2016-07-26

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

584 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2009-04-30

Study Completion Date

2011-05-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

This randomized study compares three different freezing methods to store human in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos: vitrification with two commercial kits or slow freezing. After information, all patients undergoing IVF treatment can be included in the study. If qualified, embryos at different developmental stages will be allocated between the three methods. At the end of the first year survival and developmental rates, and implantation and pregnancy rates will be analyzed in order to determine the best method.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Despite all the advances achieved in vitro fertilized treatments, it is known that the chances of implantation for fertilised in vitro embryo remain limited, at around 20%. Cryopreservation of supernumerary embryos produced during IVF cycles provides an opportunity for patients to increase the number of transfers per oocyte harvest cycle, increasing then their chances of conception.

The freezing technique may involve different media and methods, which lead to different survival and developmental rates after thawing.

Vitrification is a new freezing method, which consists in exposing cells to high concentrations of cryoprotectants and then cooling them ultra-rapidly; this induces an increase in viscosity which favours the formation of a vitreous state without any ice crystals formation. This method contrasts with the slow freezing method (currently employed), which is based on exposure to very low concentrations of cryoprotectants combined with long cooling times and associated with a higher risk of ice crystal formation.

Both methods can reduce cell survival and embryo ability to develop, either by the high concentrations of cryoprotectants in case of vitrification, or by ice crystals formation in case of slow freezing. The advantages of vitrification in embryology may be considerable because embryos seem more sensitive to ice crystal formation than to cyroportectant concentration; consequently, the elimination of office crystal injury may increase their survival chances. Additionally in the case of vitrification, the time required for equilibration and cooling is considerably reduced as well as the need for expensive equipment such as programmable machine is eliminated.

At present, vitrification and slow freezing are used for the cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos at all stages of development. Encouraging results have been obtained with vitrification, but no study has randomly compared in one study, the two protocols and cryoprotectors. The purpose of this clinic randomised study is to compare three treatments: traditional slow freezing method currently employed (control group) and two different commercial vitrification methods (experimental groups) to assess the efficacy that this technique may involve.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Human Embryo Cryopreservation

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Slow Freezing

Standard freezing protocol (slow freezing) of preimplantation embryos

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Slow freezing

Intervention Type OTHER

Embryos at different developmental stages will be frozen using a solution that contains propanediol and sucrose, individually placed in high security straws, cooled with a programmator and stored in liquid nitrogen.

VIT-Irvine

Vitrification with Irvine solution (rapid freezing) of preimplantation embryos

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

VIT-Irvine

Intervention Type OTHER

Embryos at different developmental stages will be frozen using the vitrification solution according to the manufacturer's instructions, individually placed in high security vitrification devices and plunged directly in liquid nitrogen for storing.

VIT-Vitrolife

Vitrification (rapid freezing) with Vitrolife solution

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Vit-Vitrolife

Intervention Type OTHER

Embryos at different developmental stages will be frozen using the vitrification solution according to the manufacturer's instructions, individually placed in high security vitrification devices and plunged directly in liquid nitrogen for storing.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Slow freezing

Embryos at different developmental stages will be frozen using a solution that contains propanediol and sucrose, individually placed in high security straws, cooled with a programmator and stored in liquid nitrogen.

Intervention Type OTHER

VIT-Irvine

Embryos at different developmental stages will be frozen using the vitrification solution according to the manufacturer's instructions, individually placed in high security vitrification devices and plunged directly in liquid nitrogen for storing.

Intervention Type OTHER

Vit-Vitrolife

Embryos at different developmental stages will be frozen using the vitrification solution according to the manufacturer's instructions, individually placed in high security vitrification devices and plunged directly in liquid nitrogen for storing.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Home-made solutions propanediol IRVINE, California ethylene glycol DMSO VITROLIFE, Sweden ethylene glycol propanediol

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Infertility requiring IVF

Exclusion Criteria

* Women's age \> 43 years
* Patients positive for hepatitis B or C
* Patients positive for HIV
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

43 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Erasme University Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Fasano Giovanna

Clinical Embryologist

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Anne Delbaere, Ph.D.

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Fertility Clinic, Hospital Erasme

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

IVF laboratory, Hospital Erasme, Route de Lennik 808

Brussels, , Belgium

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Belgium

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Al-Hasani S, Ozmen B, Koutlaki N, Schoepper B, Diedrich K, Schultze-Mosgau A. Three years of routine vitrification of human zygotes: is it still fair to advocate slow-rate freezing? Reprod Biomed Online. 2007 Mar;14(3):288-93. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)60869-3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17359578 (View on PubMed)

Balaban B, Urman B, Ata B, Isiklar A, Larman MG, Hamilton R, Gardner DK. A randomized controlled study of human Day 3 embryo cryopreservation by slow freezing or vitrification: vitrification is associated with higher survival, metabolism and blastocyst formation. Hum Reprod. 2008 Sep;23(9):1976-82. doi: 10.1093/humrep/den222. Epub 2008 Jun 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18544577 (View on PubMed)

Desai N, Blackmon H, Szeptycki J, Goldfarb J. Cryoloop vitrification of human day 3 cleavage-stage embryos: post-vitrification development, pregnancy outcomes and live births. Reprod Biomed Online. 2007 Feb;14(2):208-13. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)60789-4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17298725 (View on PubMed)

Escriba MJ, Zulategui JF, Galan A, Mercader A, Remohi J, de los Santos MJ. Vitrification of preimplantation genetically diagnosed human blastocysts and its contribution to the cumulative ongoing pregnancy rate per cycle by using a closed device. Fertil Steril. 2008 Apr;89(4):840-6. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.04.035. Epub 2007 Aug 6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17681342 (View on PubMed)

Huang CC, Lee TH, Chen SU, Chen HH, Cheng TC, Liu CH, Yang YS, Lee MS. Successful pregnancy following blastocyst cryopreservation using super-cooling ultra-rapid vitrification. Hum Reprod. 2005 Jan;20(1):122-8. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deh540. Epub 2004 Oct 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15471932 (View on PubMed)

Kasai M, Mukaida T. Cryopreservation of animal and human embryos by vitrification. Reprod Biomed Online. 2004 Aug;9(2):164-70. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)62125-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15333245 (View on PubMed)

Kattera S, Chen C. Cryopreservation of embryos by vitrification: current development. Int Surg. 2006 Sep-Oct;91(5 Suppl):S55-62.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17436605 (View on PubMed)

Kuwayama M, Vajta G, Ieda S, Kato O. Comparison of open and closed methods for vitrification of human embryos and the elimination of potential contamination. Reprod Biomed Online. 2005 Nov;11(5):608-14. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)61169-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16409712 (View on PubMed)

Kuwayama M. Highly efficient vitrification for cryopreservation of human oocytes and embryos: the Cryotop method. Theriogenology. 2007 Jan 1;67(1):73-80. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2006.09.014. Epub 2006 Oct 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17055564 (View on PubMed)

Liebermann J, Nawroth F, Isachenko V, Isachenko E, Rahimi G, Tucker MJ. Potential importance of vitrification in reproductive medicine. Biol Reprod. 2002 Dec;67(6):1671-80. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod.102.006833.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12444040 (View on PubMed)

Liebermann J, Dietl J, Vanderzwalmen P, Tucker MJ. Recent developments in human oocyte, embryo and blastocyst vitrification: where are we now? Reprod Biomed Online. 2003 Dec;7(6):623-33. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)62084-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 14748959 (View on PubMed)

Liebermann J, Tucker MJ. Comparison of vitrification and conventional cryopreservation of day 5 and day 6 blastocysts during clinical application. Fertil Steril. 2006 Jul;86(1):20-6. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.01.029. Epub 2006 Jun 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16762345 (View on PubMed)

Loutradi KE, Kolibianakis EM, Venetis CA, Papanikolaou EG, Pados G, Bontis I, Tarlatzis BC. Cryopreservation of human embryos by vitrification or slow freezing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fertil Steril. 2008 Jul;90(1):186-93. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.06.010. Epub 2007 Nov 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17980870 (View on PubMed)

Nawroth F, Rahimi G, Isachenko E, Isachenko V, Liebermann M, Tucker MJ, Liebermann J. Cryopreservation in assisted reproductive technology: new trends. Semin Reprod Med. 2005 Nov;23(4):325-35. doi: 10.1055/s-2005-923390.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16317621 (View on PubMed)

Rama Raju GA, Haranath GB, Krishna KM, Prakash GJ, Madan K. Vitrification of human 8-cell embryos, a modified protocol for better pregnancy rates. Reprod Biomed Online. 2005 Oct;11(4):434-7. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)61135-2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16274602 (View on PubMed)

Stehlik E, Stehlik J, Katayama KP, Kuwayama M, Jambor V, Brohammer R, Kato O. Vitrification demonstrates significant improvement versus slow freezing of human blastocysts. Reprod Biomed Online. 2005 Jul;11(1):53-7. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)61298-9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16102287 (View on PubMed)

Takahashi K, Mukaida T, Goto T, Oka C. Perinatal outcome of blastocyst transfer with vitrification using cryoloop: a 4-year follow-up study. Fertil Steril. 2005 Jul;84(1):88-92. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2004.12.051.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16009162 (View on PubMed)

Vajta G, Nagy ZP. Are programmable freezers still needed in the embryo laboratory? Review on vitrification. Reprod Biomed Online. 2006 Jun;12(6):779-96. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)61091-7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16792858 (View on PubMed)

Youssry M, Ozmen B, Zohni K, Diedrich K, Al-Hasani S. Current aspects of blastocyst cryopreservation. Reprod Biomed Online. 2008 Feb;16(2):311-20. doi: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)60591-3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18284893 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

VITR-1-EMBRYOS

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.