Epigenetic effects of IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) and abnormal sperm on human pre-implantation embryos – eSAFE

ICSI is becoming the most common ART technique, used in 70% of attempts. Questions about its effectiveness and safety have emerged. The majority of children conceived by ICSI are healthy but are at risk of neonatal complications. But the origin of this risk, related to parental characteristics or the technique itself, is unknown. It could result from immature gametes or in vitro manipulations, made at a time when epigenetic changes occur. The aim of the project is to decipher the short-term effects of ICSI on transcriptome and epigenome in humans to answer the question: are the epigenetic effects potentially observed in the pre-implantation embryo related to the technique or to infertility? We will compare the transcriptome and methylome of well-characterized human blastocysts, at the single cell or single embryo scale. This project forms a bridge between applied and fundamental research.