Professor Beverley Vollenhoven AM awarded $2.9 million grant for research to improve IVF treatment success
Director of Gynaecology and Research Professor Beverley Vollenhoven AM has been awarded the a prestigious Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant of $2.9 million to study the impact of genetics in response to IVF treatments, using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The four-year project aims to improve pregnancy and successful baby rates in couples undergoing IVF. To do this, Prof Vollenhoven’s team will undertake whole genomic sequencing with the aid of AI to investigate differences in the reproductive genes.
“We plan to randomise women to standard stimulation or personalised stimulation to improve egg numbers and quality, which will hopefully lead to better embryo quality in the personalised group, which may lead to improved pregnancy rates,” she explains.
Personalised stimulation will be based on personal medication regimens, depending on the reproductive genes of the individual.
The research will recruit between 800 to 1,000 participants. MedTech health start-up 23 Strands will perform the genomic sequencing, while Monash Health and assisted reproductive services provider Virtus Health will be involved in patient recruitment across Australia.
“We’re hoping for a dramatic improvement in treatment success, especially in older women, so this is an incredibly exciting project,” Professor Vollenhoven says.
Still in the early phases, we look forward to sharing the project’s progress as results come in.
