Safety first - assisted human reproduction second

The Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 provides specific rules to allocate parentage in cases of donor-assisted human reproduction (‘dahr’) for the first time in Ireland. In this regard, the 2015 Act represents a positive step forward for Irish law and is one which certainly enhances the position of children who are born via donor procedures by offering their families much needed recognition and certainty. It must be considered, however, whether the provisions of the 2015 Act operate in the best interests of children to the fullest extent. This article considers the main provisions of the 2015 Act from the perspective of the child’s rights and interests to understand whether children are adequately protected by the new legislation. Ultimately, it will be shown that there are some gaps in the 2015 Act which need to be addressed so as to truly operate in children’s best interests.

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In vitro fertilisation of mouse oocytes reconstructed by transfer of metaphase II chromosomes results in live births

Zygote ◽

10.1017/s0967199401001022 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 9-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Min-Kang Wang ◽

Da-Yuan Chen ◽

Ji-Long Lui ◽

Guang-Peng Li ◽

Qing-Yuan Sun

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Transfer ◽

Normal Structure ◽

Human Reproduction ◽

In Vitro Fertilisation ◽

Kunming Mouse ◽

Mouse Oocytes ◽

Assisted Human Reproduction ◽

And Function ◽

Apparatus Transfer

The interaction between nucleus and cytoplasm can be explored through nuclear transfer. We describe here another tool to investigate this interaction: MII meiotic apparatus transfer (MAT) between mouse oocytes. In this study, the MII oocyte meiotic apparatus or spindle from C57BL/6 mice, a black strain, was transferred into an enucleated metaphase oocyte from Kunming mouse, a white strain. The results showed that the enucleation rate by treating oocytes with 3% sucrose was 100%, but the electrofusion efficiency was very low, with only 17.6% of reconstructed karyoplast-recipient cytoplasm pairs fused. When the fused oocytes were exposed to spermatozoa from C57BL/6 mice, 9 of 11 (82%) were fertilised. Eight reconstructed embryos at 1- to 4-cell stages were transferred into the oviducts of two synchronously pregnant Kunming strain fosters and one delivered two normal C57BL/6 offspring. This study indicates that MII meiotic apparatus or spindle sustains normal structure and function after micromanipulation and electrofusion. MAT provides a model for further research on the application of this technique to assisted human reproduction.

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Study of Variables Involved in Male Infertility Identified in the Spermograms Assessed in Assisted Human Reproduction

International Journal of Aging Research ◽

10.28933/ijoar-2020-03-1105 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 62

Author(s):

◽

Keyword(s):

Male Infertility ◽

Human Reproduction ◽

Assisted Human Reproduction

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A small increase in CHEK1 activity leads to the arrest of the first zygotic division in human

10.1101/2020.12.26.424381 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Beili Chen ◽

Jianying Guo ◽

Ting Wang ◽

Qianhui Lee ◽

Jia Ming ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Dna Damage ◽

Mitotic Checkpoint ◽

Mitotic Division ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Human Reproduction ◽

Cycle Arrest ◽

Assisted Human Reproduction ◽

C Terminus ◽

Low Concentrations

ABSTRACTThe first mitotic division in mammalian zygotes is unique. The fertilized egg reactivates its cell cycle, and the maternal and paternal genomes start to reprogram to become totipotent. The first division is very sensitive to a range of perturbations, particularly the DNA damage, leading to the embryo’s failure to enter the first mitosis. We discovered that a point mutation in the human CHEK1 gene resulted in an Arginine 442 to Glutamine change at the C-terminus of the CHEK1 protein. CHEK1 R442Q mutation caused the zygote to arrest just before the first division. Heterozygote individuals appeared to be healthy except that the female carriers are infertile. Expressing the corresponding mouse mutant Chk1 protein in zygotes also caused arrest before the first mitosis. Treating Chk1 R442Q mouse zygotes with low concentrations of CHEK1 inhibitor enabled the embryos to overcome the cell cycle arrest and resume normal development. Our results revealed an unexpected zygote mitotic checkpoint, which is extremely sensitive to the CHEK1 kinase activity. The fine-tuning of the DNA damage checkpoint permits the arrested one-cell embryos to overcome the first mitotic block and develop into healthy animals. These findings have important implications in assisted human reproduction.

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Posthumous Reproduction: A Consideration of the Medical, Ethical, Cultural, Psychosocial and Legal Perspectives in the New Zealand Context

Medical Law International ◽

10.1177/096853320200500402 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 259-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alison Douglass ◽

Ken Daniels

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Ethics Committee ◽

Human Reproduction ◽

Assisted Human Reproduction ◽

Posthumous Reproduction

This paper describes the development of New Zealand policy on posthumous reproduction in assisted human reproduction. It outlines five perspectives: medical, ethical, cultural, psychosocial and legal and shows the multidisciplinary approach taken by the National Ethics Committee. It is argued that each of these perspectives has important contributions to make to the multidisciplinary approach. The guidelines determined by the Committee are outlined, along with the processes used in arriving at these.

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