Effect of karyotype on successful human embryonic stem cell derivation

The success rate of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) derivation depends on both culture conditions and embryo quality and is routinely determined by morphological criteria. However, high incidence of chromosomal abnormality even in high-grade cleavage embryos from in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients suggests that the morphological grade of supernumerary embryos obtained from IVF clinics may not be a good prediction factor for successful hESC derivation. We show here that from one donor under identical derivation conditions 12 karyotypically abnormal post-bioptic embryos did not yield hESC lines, whereas two out of four normal embryos did. This suggests that the capacity of embryos to give rise to hESC line is likely to be influenced by their genetic status.