The IVIRMA basic research laboratory in Basking Ridge-New Jersey has been actively investigating translational research questions for more than a decade. The primary research focus in Basking Ridge is the development and validation of technologies that can help identify embryos with higher reproductive potential with the ultimate aim of improving treatment outcomes of our patients. Within this context, investigators in New Jersey, under the leadership of Richard T. Scott, developed 24-chromosome PCR- (polymerase chain reaction) and next generation sequencing-based approaches for preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A). The accuracy of these technologies has been validated in house and the clinical benefit that results form their use have been proven by randomized prospective clinical trials.
The development of in house PGT-A technologies endowed the New Jersey group with the platform to investigate additional biomarkers of embryonic competence (such as mitochondrial DNA copy number, epigenetic markers, etc.) as well as endometrial determinants of reproductive outcome (microbiome, immune compatibility, etc..). In addition to cutting edge molecular and genetic technologies (including Illumina and Ion Torrent next generation sequencing technologies and quantitative PCR machines), the IVIRMA New Jersey basic science investigators have extended embryo culture, stem cell culture, and fluorescent and confocal microscopy capabilities. As a result of this extensive technical infrastruture and know-how, as well as strong intramural funding support, IVIRMA global New Jersey basic science laboratory is poised to discover the next set of biomarkers that will re-define how we perform ART.
