In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a technology involving fertilization of an egg by a sperm cell outside the body in a laboratory dish. The origin of the term in vitro, which literally means in glass, dates back to the era when glass containers such as test tubes or petri dishes were popular for cultivating tissues outside the living organism it originated from. In recent times, when plastic has replaced glass, the term in vitro refers to any biological procedure that is performed outside the living organism to distinguish it from an in vivo procedure, where the tissue remains inside the living organism in its native environment (1). Continue reading “Three’s Company: New Frontiers in In Vitro Fertilization”
IVF
2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded
It’s October, and for one week this month scientists around the world will be celebrating the work of their colleagues who have helped push the boundaries of science into territory that we take as “familiar” today. The recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is Robert Edwards, notable for his work on human in vitro fertilization. His work along with his the work of his colleague, gynecologist Patrick Steptoe, who developed the technique of laproscopy, led ultimately to the first successful human in vitro fertilization and ultimately the birth of Louise Brown, the world’s first “test tube baby” in 1978. Read the official press release.
