Polar Body / Single Cell Analysis Kit

Aberrations in the number of chromosome copies are major causes of embryo loss, both before and after implantation. The incidences of aneuplodies increase with the age of the mother such that 30–50% of the oocytes of a 35 year old healthy woman show aneuplodies.

With pre-implantation genetic analysis it is possible to detect irregularities in the chromosome arrangement during an IVF cycle. More importantly, polar body analysis is the only legally accepted method for chromosomal examination of unfertilized oocytes.

Beckman Coulter now offers a superior nucleic acid-based screening test for the analysis of the presence or absence of all human chromosomal genetic material from a single cell. We provide an easy to use platform, based on a microscope slide, for single cell deposition. Any standard equipment for single cell manipulation e.g., micromanipulators or flow cytometers are compatible with our slides. Continuous documentation of the process and the 100% safety presence of one single cell are assured on this high-quality optical substrate.
Samples are analyzed using a redundant two step multiplex PCR method on each chromosome. Complex primer design guarantees reliable results combined with an easy read out based on agarose gel electrophoresis. The key advantage of Beckman Coulter’s pre-implantation genetic analysis vs. FISH (fluorescence in-situ hybridization)-based analysis is that it screens all chromosomes, while FISH screens only 5-12 chromosomes.  In addition, the results of the Beckman Coulter kit are digital in nature, eliminating the subjectivity of results interpretation associated with FISH.
Due to the direct amplification of the sample material the loss of chromosomes or, in the worst case scenario, of the whole cell during downstream processing is minimized.