Noninvasive metabolomic profiling of embryo culture media using Raman and near-infrared spectroscopy correlates with reproductive potential of embryos in women undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To determine if metabolomic profiling of embryo culture media correlates with reproductive potential of individual embryos.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: An academic and a private assisted reproduction program; a university research center.

Patient(s): Women undergoing assisted reproduction treatment.

Intervention(s): Sixty-nine spent media samples from 30 patients with known outcome (0 or 100% sustained implantation rates) were individually collected after embryo transfer on day 3 and were evaluated using Raman and/or near-infrared spectroscopy. The spectra obtained from each instrument were separately analyzed using a wavelength selective genetic algorithm to determine regions predictive of pregnancy outcome. Viability indices reflective of reproductive potential were calculated for each sample. To avoid random correlations, a leave-one-out cross-validation was used. Sensitivity and specificity of predicting viability (described as implantation and delivery) were calculated.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Metabolomic profile of culture media and embryo viability.

Result(s): Viability indices calculated by Raman or near-infrared spectroscopy were higher for embryos that implanted and resulted in a delivery, compared with those that failed to implant. Raman spectroscopy predicted viability of individual embryos with a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 76.5%; near-infrared provided a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 83.3%.

Conclusion(s): Rapid, noninvasive metabolomic profiling of human embryo culture media using Raman or near-infrared spectroscopy combined with bioinformatics correlates with pregnancy outcome.