Journal article
Assisted reproductive technologies are associated with limited epigenetic variation at birth that largely resolves by adulthood
B Novakovic, S Lewis, J Halliday, J Kennedy, DP Burgner, A Czajko, B Kim, A Sexton-Oates, M Juonala, K Hammarberg, DJ Amor, LW Doyle, S Ranganathan, L Welsh, M Cheung, J McBain, R McLachlan, R Saffery
Nature Communications | NATURE PORTFOLIO | Published : 2019
Open access
Abstract
More than 7 million individuals have been conceived by Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) and there is clear evidence that ART is associated with a range of adverse early life outcomes, including rare imprinting disorders. The periconception period and early embryogenesis are associated with widespread epigenetic remodeling, which can be influenced by ART, with effects on the developmental trajectory in utero, and potentially on health throughout life. Here we profile genome-wide DNA methylation in blood collected in the newborn period and in adulthood (age 22–35 years) from a unique longitudinal cohort of ART-conceived individuals, previously shown to have no differences in health out..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the participants who generously gave their time to the study. This work was made possible through the Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support and the Australian Government NHMRC IRIISS. This study was funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant (APP1099641; 2016-2017), The Royal Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Monash IVF Research and Education Foundation, and Reproductive Biology Unit Sperm Fund, Melbourne IVF. B.N. is supported by an NHMRC (Australia) CJ Martin Fellowship (1072966). DPB is supported by an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (1064629).