Proteomics and Metabolomics

Abstract

Efficiency of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is relatively low (4–40%) in patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART), mainly due to inaccurate embryo selection. Embryo evaluation, grading and viability assessment are used in the IVF practice to improve the success rates of pregnancy. It is critical to select the best embryo with high reproductive potential for transfer and implantation, to increase pregnancy rates. Although morphological-based embryo assessment is performed to improve pregnancy rates, still the accuracy and precision of the technique is debatable. Modernization of assisted reproductive techniques has fueled the development of an alternative noninvasive method, to overcome the lacunae within the existing conventional embryo selection technique. Proteomics and metabolomics are the two new emerging omics technologies that have the potential to provide the complete information on biological and metabolic processes of the developing embryo. Both these platforms permit the characterization of individual oocyte or embryo quality in the culture medium. Selection of the single embryo aids in the single embryo transfer (SET) to avoid the complications incurred during multiple embryo transfer. This chapter discusses the different advanced omics techniques used to identify the proteomic and metabolomic profiles of oocytes, cumulus cells, embryos, or spent culture media that have been used in ART. Understanding the embryo physiology enables better selection of viable embryos for transfer in ART. Advanced high-throughput techniques are still under its developmental stages and these need to be evaluated by randomized clinical trials before the implementation of embryo grading and evaluation can be established in clinical laboratories.