Cumulus Cell Mitochondrial Activity as a Non-invasive Marker of Embryo Quality (FLIM)

NCT ID: NCT05332769

Last Updated: 2025-05-07

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

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Recruitment Status

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

200 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-04-25

Study Completion Date

2026-12-30

Brief Summary

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This study aims to test the extent of association of FLIM parameters of cumulus cells with clinical outcomes (clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy at 12 weeks, and live birth) of the embryos that result from the enclosed oocytes.

Detailed Description

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This study aims to test the extent of association of FLIM parameters of cumulus cells with clinical outcomes (clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy at 12 weeks, and live birth) of the embryos that result from the enclosed oocytes.

Participants will be consented to and pre-signed following standard regimens of IVFMD, My Duc Hospital and IVFMD PN, My Duc Phu Nhuan Hospital. The standard is for patients with at least 8 follicles ≥ 10 mm on ultrasonography at the induced ovulation date.

Cumulus samples (CCs) will be collected following the protocol on the day of oocyte pick up (OPU), being assigned with the same number as the oocyte from which it was collected, and vitrified with a Cryotech kit until FLIM measurements are performed.

Insemination will be performed by using ICSI, 3 - 4 hours after oocyte retrieval. A sample of CCs will be sliced off the cumulus mass of each oocyte judged to be mature based on the cumulus mass disposition (absence of tight corona layers). The remaining cumulus cells will be stripped from the OCCs using hyaluronidase. Only mature oocytes will be inseminated.

The fertilization check will be performed under an inverted microscope for a period of 16-18 hours after insemination. On day 3, embryo evaluation will be performed at a fixed time point 66±2 hours after fertilization and, for day 5/6 transfers at 116±2 hours or 140±2 hours, respectively, using the Istanbul consensus. Freeze-all strategy for day 5 embryo will be applied and the first frozen embryo transfer cycle is single embryo transfer.

On the other hand, the investigators will stratify embryos into two groups based on the measured FLIM parameters from their associated cumulus cells, corresponding to the "high" 35% and "low" 65% of metabolic scores.

The investigators aim for embryos in the "high" metabolic scoring group to have a 10% higher live birth rate than controls. Assuming a current live birth rate of 32%, this corresponds to a hoped-for 42% live birth rate in the "high" group (and a 25% live birth rate in the "low" group). A total of 450 patients are required to detect an effect of this size (power 0.90, two-sided alpha 5%).

The primary endpoint of the study will be the live birth rate after the first embryo transfer of the started treatment cycle.

Conditions

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IVF/ICSI Frozen Embryo Transfer Cumulus Cell Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

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Infertile women have IVF/ICSI cycle

All Vietnamese infertile women who have IVF/ICSI cycle with at least 8 follicles ≥ 10 mm on ultrasonography at induced ovulation date agreed to freeze-all day 5-6 embryos at IVFMD and IVFMD PN will be enrolled in the study.

FLIM parameters

Intervention Type GENETIC

Cumulus samples (CCs) will be collected following the protocol on the day of oocyte pick up (OPU). CCs are frozen by the cryo-tech method, then stored in liquid nitrogen at -196oC. Information of CC samples and processed date/time is recorded. After all, samples are collected, they will be transferred to The Needleman Lab, Northwest Lab Building 359,52 Oxford Street Cambridge MA 02138 to measure mitochondria metabolism using FLIM.

Interventions

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FLIM parameters

Cumulus samples (CCs) will be collected following the protocol on the day of oocyte pick up (OPU). CCs are frozen by the cryo-tech method, then stored in liquid nitrogen at -196oC. Information of CC samples and processed date/time is recorded. After all, samples are collected, they will be transferred to The Needleman Lab, Northwest Lab Building 359,52 Oxford Street Cambridge MA 02138 to measure mitochondria metabolism using FLIM.

Intervention Type GENETIC

Other Intervention Names

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fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Having any number of IVF/ICSI attempts
* Ovarian stimulation with any stimulation protocol
* Patients with at least 8 follicles ≥ 10 mm on ultrasonography at induced ovulation date
* Agreed to freeze-all day 5-6 embryos
* Agreed to have a single day 5-6 embryo transfer.
* Agreed to participate in the research (signed the consent form)

Exclusion Criteria

* In vitro maturation (IVM) cycles
* Cycles using testicular biopsy or epididymal sperm
* Cycles not having an oocyte freeze-all cycle
* Cycles using standard insemination
* Participating in another research
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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The Needleman Lab, Northwest Lab Building 359,52 Oxford Street Cambridge MA 02138.

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Harvard University Faculty of Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Hospital Foch, Suresnes, France.

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Mỹ Đức Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Tuong M Ho, MD, MCE

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Mỹ Đức Hospital

Locations

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My Duc Hospital

Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Site Status

Countries

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Vietnam

References

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Fauser BC. Towards the global coverage of a unified registry of IVF outcomes. Reprod Biomed Online. 2019 Feb;38(2):133-137. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.12.001. Epub 2018 Dec 14. No abstract available.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 30593441 (View on PubMed)

Dumollard R, Duchen M, Carroll J. The role of mitochondrial function in the oocyte and embryo. Curr Top Dev Biol. 2007;77:21-49. doi: 10.1016/S0070-2153(06)77002-8.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 17222699 (View on PubMed)

May-Panloup P, Boucret L, Chao de la Barca JM, Desquiret-Dumas V, Ferre-L'Hotellier V, Moriniere C, Descamps P, Procaccio V, Reynier P. Ovarian ageing: the role of mitochondria in oocytes and follicles. Hum Reprod Update. 2016 Nov;22(6):725-743. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmw028. Epub 2016 Aug 25.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 27562289 (View on PubMed)

Babayev E, Seli E. Oocyte mitochondrial function and reproduction. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Jun;27(3):175-81. doi: 10.1097/GCO.0000000000000164.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 25719756 (View on PubMed)

Scott R 3rd, Zhang M, Seli E. Metabolism of the oocyte and the preimplantation embryo: implications for assisted reproduction. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Jun;30(3):163-170. doi: 10.1097/GCO.0000000000000455.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 29708901 (View on PubMed)

Chakraborty S, Nian FS, Tsai JW, Karmenyan A, Chiou A. Quantification of the Metabolic State in Cell-Model of Parkinson's Disease by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy. Sci Rep. 2016 Jan 13;6:19145. doi: 10.1038/srep19145.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 26758390 (View on PubMed)

Becker W. Fluorescence lifetime imaging--techniques and applications. J Microsc. 2012 Aug;247(2):119-36. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2818.2012.03618.x. Epub 2012 May 24.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 22621335 (View on PubMed)

Sanchez T, Wang T, Pedro MV, Zhang M, Esencan E, Sakkas D, Needleman D, Seli E. Metabolic imaging with the use of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) accurately detects mitochondrial dysfunction in mouse oocytes. Fertil Steril. 2018 Dec;110(7):1387-1397. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2018.07.022. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 30446247 (View on PubMed)

Sanchez T, Zhang M, Needleman D, Seli E. Metabolic imaging via fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy for egg and embryo assessment. Fertil Steril. 2019 Feb;111(2):212-218. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2018.12.014.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 30691624 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/publications/research-and-data/fertility-treatment-2019-trends-and-figures/

T. H. F. and E. A. (HFEA), "Fertility treatment 2019: trends and figures," 2021.

Other Identifiers

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11/21/DD/BVMD

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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