Researchers at the University of Michigan created a kind of cradle tube to maximize the chances of a pregnancy resulting from in vitro fertilization.
According to the journal Human Reproduction, the specimen is placed on a digitally-controlled swing. The swing imitates the movements the embryo experiences as it makes it ways to join with the uterine wall.
Results obtained from mice were shocking. Without rocking, the in vitro fertilization rate was 55%. In cases where the swing was used, that rate went up to 77%. Researchers want to try the same experiments on humans too.
Shu Takayama is an associate professor of biomedical engineering and in macromolecular science and engineering. He also co-authored this study. He says, "By making the cells feel more at home, we get better cells, which is key to having better infertility treatment."
The other study co-author, Gary Smith, is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U-M Medical Center. He adds, "One of our goals for years now has been to modify how we grow embryos in the lab to be more like how they grow in the human body, because we know that the human body grows them most efficiently."