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In Vitro Maturation of OocytesCAPA-IVM-SibNCT04285892

Embryo Developmental Potential in a Novel 2-step IVM System

A study testing CAPA-IVM in people with In Vitro Maturation of Oocytes, run by Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel at 1 site in Belgium.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

In vitro maturation is a valid option for PCO(S) patients in the daily ART clinic, however maturation and embryologic development are not yet matching the efficiency levels obtained by standard COS treatment. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 36 years, women only
Conditions the study is for
In Vitro Maturation of Oocytes
What is being tested?
CAPA-IVM
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
23 participants
Where
1 siteBelgium
Study dates
16 Jul 2020to 31 Dec 2023
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 36 years
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • PCO(S) patients
  • Anti-Mullerian Hormone ≥ 3.6 ng/mL
  • Basal Antral Follicle Count ≥ 20
  • All ranks of trial

Who cannot join

  • Surgically obtained semen sample
  • Grade 3 or 4 endometriosis, minor or major uterine abnormalities
  • Preimplantation Genetic Testing
  • Priming with Letrozole

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Belgium1 site
  • UZ Brussel

    Brussels, 1090

Other trials in Belgium

About this study

Official title: Trial Investigating the Developmental Potential of Embryos Obtained After Biphasic in Vitro Oocyte Maturation (IVM) of Oocytes Including a Pre Maturation Culture Step ('capacitation Step') Compared with Standard IVM.

In vitro maturation is a valid option for PCO(S) patients in the daily ART clinic, however maturation and embryologic development are not yet matching the efficiency levels obtained by standard COS treatment. To further enhance embryo quality after IVM, it was hypothesized to keep the connection and communication between oocyte and cumulus cells intact for a prolonged pre-maturation culture before IVM was initiated. This has been investigated and established using a meiotic blocker C-type Natriuretic peptide (CNP).

The CNP peptide is present in high concentrations in the growing follicle, is produced by the mural granulosa cell compartment and binds to the Natriuretic peptide receptor 2 (NRP2) present in the cumulus cells. Binding of CNP on NRP2 leads to intracellular cGMP increase in cumulus cells, which travels through the transzonal projections to the oocyte. In the oocyte, cGMP will block the resumption of meiosis.

Using CNP as natural inhibitor of meiosis, a new medium was designed to allow oocyte and surrounding cumulus cells to communicate and hence gain in competence for an additional culture period: the pre-maturation phase or Capacitation phase (CAPA). This system was devel-oped in mouse, tested in human in UZ Brussel on research material (toelating federaal EC: CFE-FCE ADV_073_ZUBrussel, toelating lokaal EC: 2016/411 BUN 143201630723) and used in a clinical setting in Vietnam.

Read the detailed description

The current IVM system in use in the clinic has a single step approach and seems to be less efficient compared to research and literature findings using a biphasic CAPA-IVM system in terms of maturation.

To ascertain the efficiency of the biphasic CAPA-IVM system, both standard IVM and CAPA-IVM will be performed on sibling oocytes: maturation in standard IVM in the investigator's center is on average 47.5%, where CAPA-IVM reaches 62% maturation in literature.

The investigators aim to prove superiority of the CAPA-IVM system in terms of maturation. Also fertilization and embryo development will be compared.

The participants admitted to the study will be receiving both the standard IVM treatment for part of the participant's oocytes and the biphasic CAPA IVM system for the second part of the participant's oocytes.

In one ovary a regular oocyte pick up (OPU) will take place with oocytes assigned to the standard IVM treatment, in the other ovary the CAPA IVM system will be applied. This means oocytes that are liberated from the follicular environment need to be exposed immediately to the inhibiting CNP peptide and herefore the tubes to collect the follicle fluid from the punctured follicles are prefilled with CNP supplemented medium. The OPU procedure is identical for both ovaries and according to our standard OPU IVM procedure with the sole difference of empty or prefilled tubes to collect follicle fluid.

Oocytes from the 2 ovaries are separately processed in the lab according to attributed protocol.

After IVM of oocytes, mature oocytes are subjected to ICSI with partner's sperm or donor sperm. Partner's sperm sample will be frozen at the latest the day of egg retrieval and will be thawed the day of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): due to the use of 2 different IVM protocols with 2 different time lines (30 hours maturation versus 24 hours+30 hours maturation), ICSI will take place on two consecutive days with a freshly thawed straw of sperm cells for each day.

Embryo development is followed until day 3 (cleavage stage) after ICSI. All embryos of sufficient quality will be vitrified for a deferred embryo transfer in a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) cycle. One embryo will be selected for embryo transfer based on the morphological quality assessment parameters, with the better quality as first choice for transfer, regardless the preceding IVM method. Frozen single embryo transfer cycles are repeated until pregnancy.

Being tested
CAPA-IVM

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • CAPA-IVMDevice

    CAPA medium keeps oocytes in meiotic arrest for 22-24 hours. IVM medium allows oocytes to resume meiosis.

    CAPA medium: 10% human serum albumin (HSA) + 10nM estradiol (E2) + 25nM CNP + 5ng/ml Insulin + 1mIU/ml follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) IVM medium: 10% HSA + 10nM E2 + 5ng/ml Insulin + 101mIU/ml FSH + 100ng/ml AREG CNP: peptide naturally occurring in follicles to maintain meiotic arrest, E2: estrogen, enhances effects of CNP, Insulin: basic growth factor used in cell cultures and component of commercially available LAG medium of the standard IVM system, AREG: downstream effector of the LHCG receptor which helps meiotic resumption. HSA, FSH and hCG are CE labeled. CAPA IVM medium is currently not yet available as CE marked commercially available medium and needs to be prepared in house.

Study groups in NCT04285892
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
CAPA IVMExperimentalCAPA IVM is a 2-step In vitro Maturation system in which an additional culture step, in which the oocytes are kept in meiotic arrest by the presence of the C-type Natriuretic peptide (CNP) for 22-24 hours, is preceding the in vitro maturation step in which maturation medium is supplemented with amphiregulin (AREG). The 'IVM System' of Medicult-Origio is used as a base medium.
Receives: Device: CAPA-IVM
Standard IVMNo interventionThe IVM is performed as a single step protocol in which oocytes are immediately exposed to in vitro maturation medium for 30 hours. This is the current standard procedure in the clinical practice using the commercially available 'IVM System' of Medicult-Origio. Standard IVM medium: 10% HSA + 75mIU/ml FSH + 100mIU/ml hCG

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. oocyte maturation

    the ability of the oocyte to extrude the first polar body

    Measured: oocyte maturation is assessed after 30 hours in the standard IVM protocol and after 54 hours after CAPA IVM

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Fertilization rate

    the ability of the oocyte to be activated and form pronuclei

    Measured: The presence of 2 pronuclei is assessed between 18-20 hours after ICSI

  2. morphologic parameters describing embryo quality per fertilized oocyte

    embryo developmental potential as estimated by morphological characteristics: embryos with 6 cells or more, less than 20% fragmentation, cell size according to the division pattern and the absence of multinucleated blastomeres are considered as good quality embryos. As secondary parameters, the presence of vacuoles or granulation in the majority of blastomeres will exclude the embryo from the 'good quality' group regardless of the earlier mentioned parameters.

    Measured: embryo developmental assessment is performed 3 days after ICSI

  3. utilization rate

    the embryos of sufficient quality to be vitrified for a deferred embryo transfer

    Measured: utilization rate will be established 3 days after ICSI

  4. embryo cryotolerance

    the damage brought by the vitrification and warming process on cell survival within the embryo and the capacity of the vitrified/warmed embryo to resume cleavage divisions

    Measured: First warming is done within one month after OPU in a new HRT cycle and repeated untill pregnancy up to 1 year after egg retrieval.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted26 Feb 2020
  2. Study start16 Jul 2020
  3. Primary completion30 May 2021
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2023

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
prospective randomized control trial
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
23 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04285892
Sponsor's protocol ID
2020-CAPA-IVM-Sibling
Acronym
CAPA-IVM-Sib
Status last verified
Nov 2024
First submitted
14 Feb 2020
Last updated
25 Nov 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Saenz-de-Juano MD, Ivanova E, Romero S, Lolicato F, Sanchez F, Van Ranst H, Krueger F, Segonds-Pichon A, De Vos M, Andrews S, Smitz J, Kelsey G, Anckaert E. DNA methylation and mRNA expression of imprinted genes in blastocysts derived from an improved in vitro maturation method for oocytes from small antral follicles in polycystic ovary syndrome patients. Hum Reprod. 2019 Sep 29;34(9):1640-1649. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dez121.

    PubMed 31398248
  • Sanchez F, Le AH, Ho VNA, Romero S, Van Ranst H, De Vos M, Gilchrist RB, Ho TM, Vuong LN, Smitz J. Biphasic in vitro maturation (CAPA-IVM) specifically improves the developmental capacity of oocytes from small antral follicles. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2019 Oct;36(10):2135-2144. doi: 10.1007/s10815-019-01551-5. Epub 2019 Aug 9.

    PubMed 31399916
  • Vuong LN, Le AH, Ho VNA, Pham TD, Sanchez F, Romero S, De Vos M, Ho TM, Gilchrist RB, Smitz J. Live births after oocyte in vitro maturation with a prematuration step in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2020 Feb;37(2):347-357. doi: 10.1007/s10815-019-01677-6. Epub 2020 Jan 4.

    PubMed 31902102
  • Romero S, Sanchez F, Lolicato F, Van Ranst H, Smitz J. Immature Oocytes from Unprimed Juvenile Mice Become a Valuable Source for Embryo Production When Using C-Type Natriuretic Peptide as Essential Component of Culture Medium. Biol Reprod. 2016 Sep;95(3):64. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod.116.139808. Epub 2016 Aug 3.

    PubMed 27488026
  • Sanchez F, Lolicato F, Romero S, De Vos M, Van Ranst H, Verheyen G, Anckaert E, Smitz JEJ. An improved IVM method for cumulus-oocyte complexes from small follicles in polycystic ovary syndrome patients enhances oocyte competence and embryo yield. Hum Reprod. 2017 Oct 1;32(10):2056-2068. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dex262.

    PubMed 28938744

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing CAPA-IVM in people with In Vitro Maturation of Oocytes, run by Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel at 1 site in Belgium.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Nov 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

oocyte maturation (time frame: oocyte maturation is assessed after 30 hours in the standard IVM protocol and after 54 hours after CAPA IVM). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04285892, which also lists 5 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Nov 2024.

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