Evaluating Piezo-ICSI. - The EPI Study.

October 24, 2022 updated by: Vitrolife

Will Piezo-ICSI Increase Fertilization Rates Compared to Conventional ICSI? A Prospective Randomized Sibling Study.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has successfully been used to treat both severe male infertility and fertilization failure since its introduction in the early 1990´s. During the procedure a single sperm is injected into the cytoplasm of an oocyte to achieve fertilization. This technique is intrusive, has a relatively long learning curve and variable operator performance.

A new injection technique called piezo-ICSI has recently been introduced. During piezo-ICSI, a piezo-electric effect is generated through the conversion of electric energy to mechanical energy. This causes a smooth movement of the injection pipette, which allows for steady, controlled microinjections with less psychical stress applied on the oocytes than by the conventional technique.

A recent analysis, based on data from 9 different studies comparing conventional ICSI and piezo-ICSI (17500 cases), showed a benefit of piezo. Unfortunately, proper randomized trials are missing from this analysis. The proposed study is a randomized controlled study carried out at two private IVF clinics. Eligible participants are patients undergoing ICSI treatment, with a minimum of 6 oocytes. The participants will act as their own controls, with their oocytes randomly and equally divided between injection by the investigated and the conventional technique.

Whether piezo-ICSI is associated with improved success rates or reduction in adverse outcomes is at present unclear. Patients with fragile oocytes may benefit more from piezo-ICSI. In patients above 35 years, piezo-ICSI has been associated with a lower oocyte degeneration rate and an increased blastocyst rate. The aim of the study is to investigate whether the piezo-ICSI technique will result in more oocytes becoming normally fertilized compared to conventional ICSI. Another proposed benefit of piezo-ICSI lies in the standardization and simplification of the ICSI procedure. Making the injection procedure more independent of operator skill may result in a more robust and predictable laboratory output.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Suspended

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
265

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
      • Nottingham, United Kingdom, NG10 5QG
        • Nurture Fertility (TFP)
      • Oxford, United Kingdom, OX4 2HW
        • Oxford Fertility (TFP)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients receiving controlled ovarian stimulation with gonadotrophins needing ICSI for fertilizing oocytes.
  2. Availability of at least six mature oocytes (MII) after oocyte pick-up.
  3. Planned blastocyst culture.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Intention to perform any form of preimplantation genetic testing
  2. The use of IMSI or polarized light in the ICSI process
  3. The use of assisted hatching prior to randomization.
  4. Surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) patients.
  5. Previous participation in this RCT
  6. Concurrent participation in another investigation that can affect the primary outcome of this study.
  7. Sperm sample with <0.1million/ml or motility of <2% after preparation.
  8. Fertility preservation cycles.
  9. If a day 2-4 transfer is planned
  10. Use of vitrified oocytes.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: ICSI
Traditional microinjection (ICSI) is performed on oocytes.
Experimental: Piezo-ICSI
Microinjection (ICSI) is performed using the Piezo-ICSI technique.
Device: Piezo-ICSI
During piezo-ICSI, a piezo-electric effect is generated through the conversion of electric energy to mechanical energy. This causes a smooth movement of the injection pipette, which allows for steady, controlled microinjection of a sperm with less psychical stress applied on the oocytes than by the conventional technique.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fertilization rate
Time Frame: Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Number of normally fertilized oocytes per injected oocytes
Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Percentage of degenerated oocytes
Time Frame: Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Number of oocytes that have degenerated after the procedure
Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Percentage of 0 PN oocytes
Time Frame: Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Number of oocytes not fertilized (0 PN) after the procedure.
Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Percentage of 1 PN oocytes.
Time Frame: Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Number of oocytes fertilized with one pronuclei (1 PN) after the procedure.
Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Percentage of >2PN oocytes.
Time Frame: Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Number of oocytes fertilized with more than 2 pronuclei (>2PN) after the procedure.
Oocytes will be observed over a period of 26 hours after the intervention
Differences in KID scores.
Time Frame: Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
Embryo development will be analysed using a mathematical models called KID (0-10 scale).
Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
Differences in iDA scores.
Time Frame: Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
Embryo development will be analyzed using a artificial intelligence model, called iDA (0-10 scale).
Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
Blastocyst rate (number of grade 3 or higher).
Time Frame: Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
Number of blastocysts with a morphological score of grade 3 or higher.
Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
Percentage of cryopreserved blastocysts on day 5 and 6.
Time Frame: Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
Number of blastocysts cryopreserved on day 5 and day 6.
Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
8. Utilization rate (Number of transferred and cryopreserved blastocysts). Utilization rate
Time Frame: Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure
Number of transferred and cryopreserved blastocysts
Embryos will be observed over a period of 6 days after the procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Vitrolife

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Scott Nelson, MD, PhD, University of Glasgow

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Anticipated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2024

Study Completion (Anticipated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 1, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 9, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 17, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 27, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 24, 2022

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 4026 - EPI

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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