Insulin-like growth factor 1 increases apical fibronectin in blastocysts to increase blastocyst attachment to endometrial epithelial cells in vitro

This study presents mechanisms by which IGF1 improves attachment of blastocysts to Ishikawa cells and documents for the first time how IGF1 can increase adhesion competency in blastocysts. Failure of the blastocyst to implant is the major cause of human assisted reproductive technology (ART) failure. As growth factors are absent during embryo culture, their addition to embryo culture medium is a potential avenue to improve IVF success. In particular, IGF1 could prove to be a potential treatment for blastocysts before transfer to the uterus in an ART setting.