24sure+ is a research-use-only technology that could ultimately be used for routine pre-implantation genetic investigation of structural imbalances within an IVF cycle, with no assay development.
It is based on Bluegnome's existing 24sure technology, however, while the existing 24sure technology is used to screen for whole chromosome abnormalities, the 24sure+ product has optimised coverage to investigate imbalances affecting only part of a chromosome, since small imbalances are commonly found to result from translocations.
In Europe, 24sure+ has already been used to achieve pregnancies in couples that were previously affected by recurrent miscarriage.
'In addition to the ability to test for virtually any chromosome translocation, 24sure+ also has the potential to assess aneuploidies for patients of advanced maternal age indication, overcoming the limitation of the FISH-based procedure,' Dr Francesco Fiorentino, who has pioneered the use of 24sure+ at Genoma in Rome.
'This application area is particularly exciting as it highlights research interaction between classical cytogenetic laboratories and their IVF counterparts,' said Nick Haan, chief executive officer of Bluegnome.
