International contributions to the evidence base
Contribute data
PGT-mt Atlas welcomes contributions from research groups and clinics worldwide. If you have performed PGT-mt or studied embryos carrying mtDNA variants, your results can help describe the method more fully — including unsuccessful cycles and embryos that were not transferred.
Every outcome matters. Unsuccessful outcomes are data too.
Why every outcome matters
publication bias
Successful PGT-mt outcomes are published more often than unsuccessful ones. A cycle resulting in the birth of a healthy child is more likely to be published than a cycle with no suitable embryo, implantation failure or pregnancy loss.
The literature may therefore present a biased picture, suggesting that a suitable embryo is almost always available and outcomes are predictable. Unsuccessful outcomes remain under-represented, although families need this information during genetic counselling.
The Atlas records all outcomes with the same care. Reporting an unsuccessful outcome helps make the evidence base more complete and accurate.
Why complete cycles matter
Estimating how often PGT-mt leads to embryo transfer and live birth requires a complete denominator: every oocyte and embryo in the cycle, including those not transferred. A cycle may end at any of the stages below; each outcome contributes information.
- oocytes retrieved
- mature (MII)
- fertilised (2PN)
- blastocysts
- biopsy and PGT-mt
- suitable embryo
- transfer
- pregnancy
- live birth and follow-up
Stages at which a cycle may end — every outcome counts:
- immature and degenerated oocytes
- unfertilised oocytes
- developmental arrest
- no test result
- no suitable embryo
- no implantation
- pregnancy loss
Heteroplasmy measurements from all embryos in a cycle — including aneuploid embryos, embryos with developmental arrest and those not transferred — help describe transmission of an mtDNA variant through oogenesis and early development. Without these observations, estimates of risk for a family are incomplete.
Data we welcome
studies and observations
- Complete PGT-mt cycles — every started cycle, including those that ended without a transfer.
- Heteroplasmy values for every embryo, not only for the transferred ones; PGT-A and morphology results.
- Studies of embryos donated for research: trophectoderm biopsy versus inner cell mass and remaining trophectoderm, repeated biopsies, single blastomeres.
- Oocytes and polar bodies; heteroplasmy in the carrier’s tissues.
- Prenatal diagnosis and postnatal follow-up of children, with the tissue, age and method stated.
- Unsuccessful and unexpected outcomes: no suitable embryo, implantation failure, pregnancy loss, or discordant results between embryo and foetal tissue.
- Methodological data: validation, limit of detection, linearity, effects of whole-genome amplification, repeated measurements.
- Published studies not yet included in the Atlas — a reference and the location of the values in the paper are sufficient.
How to contribute
step by step
Write to the curator
Briefly describe the study, the size of the dataset and its publication status.
Fill in the template
Download PGT-mt Research Data Submission and complete the sheets that apply to your data. To suggest a published study, send its citation or DOI.
Agree how to share the data
The curator will propose a secure channel for the file. Patient data are never sent by unencrypted e-mail and are never uploaded to the website or to GitHub.
Scientific review
The curator reviews completeness, consistency, overlap with published data, authorisation, permissions, de-identification and ethical requirements, and contacts the authors where clarification is needed.
Decision and credit
You receive a decision with its reasons. Included values appear in the Atlas with their source and authors.
A structured template for research data
Excel template
The PGT-mt Research Data Submission template captures the minimum dataset for a PGT-mt cycle — patient and cycle, embryo, method and outcome — with additional fields for complete cycles and unsuccessful outcomes. Linked worksheets describe each oocyte, embryo, sample and outcome without direct identifiers.
Template details: worksheets, completion guidance and de-identification
Sheets of the template
| Study | One row per study or dataset: who generated the data, where, and its publication status.26 fields, 15 required |
|---|---|
| Cycle | One row per initiated IVF/PGT-mt cycle, including cycles with no suitable embryo or no transfer.30 fields, 18 required |
| Embryos | One row per embryo or tested oocyte. Include every embryo in the cycle, not only those transferred.17 fields, 7 required |
| Samples_Measurements | One row per measurement from carrier tissues, oocytes, polar bodies, embryo samples, or prenatal and postnatal samples. Record replicates in separate rows.24 fields, 9 required |
| Methods | One row per analytical method or protocol version used for the measurements.22 fields, 11 required |
| Clinical_Outcomes | One row per outcome: no suitable embryo, implantation failure, pregnancy loss, birth or follow-up visit.13 fields, 3 required |
Also included: instructions (EN/RU), a Data Dictionary with the definition, unit and allowed values of every field, and drop-down lists.
Zero, missing data and results below the detection limit are different
- A blank cell means “not reported / unknown”.
- 0 in a count means “counted, none”.
- Below the detection limit is its own value type (below_lod) with the limit stated — not 0.
- A published interval or bound is kept as published; no midpoint is imputed.
- An analysis that failed or was not performed remains in the table because it is part of the cycle record.
No direct identifiers
The template has no fields for names, initials, exact dates of birth or procedures, addresses, patient contacts or medical record numbers. Age is recorded in groups, time points are relative (embryo day, gestational week, child age in months) and all codes are de-identified.
Scientific review
from submission to inclusion
Each submission follows the same review process. Submitted data never appear automatically in public charts. Inclusion requires a separate decision by the curator and a reviewed change to the dataset.
Statuses
- SubmittedThe enquiry or file has been registered; no data are displayed.
- Under reviewCompleteness, consistency, overlap, authorisation and de-identification are reviewed; questions are referred to the authors.
- ValidatedThe data have passed review and are prepared for inclusion with their evidence level.
- IncludedValues are added to the dataset by a separate reviewed change and shown with attribution.
- RejectedThe data are not included; the authors receive the reasons and may submit a corrected version.
Levels of evidence
The source and evidence status remain visible beside each value. Categories are never combined without explicit labelling.
- Peer-reviewed publications
- Results that have passed independent peer review in a scientific journal.
- Published without independent peer review
- Preprints, conference abstracts, theses, reports.
- Unpublished research data
- Data from research groups and clinics, shared with the Atlas after review.
- Unverified reports
- Information that could not be verified. Never shown in charts.
Unpublished data additionally require
- confirmation that the researcher is authorised to share the data on behalf of the institution or data owner;
- permission to use the data and to display de-identified values publicly (an embargo is possible);
- a de-identification check: no direct or indirect identifiers;
- confirmation of ethical requirements: ethics committee approval and patient consent for research use of the data.
Recognition of contributions
authorship is preserved
- Each included value is attributed to its primary publication, authors and DOI, or to the research group and institution that supplied unpublished data.
- Contributing groups are acknowledged in the Atlas in the form they choose.
- The Atlas welcomes scientific collaboration. Groups that make a substantial contribution may be invited to collaborate on joint scientific publications.
Co-authorship is not automatic: it is discussed for each publication separately and determined by the accepted authorship criteria (ICMJE).
Contact the curator
scientific enquiries
For scientific enquiries, data contributions or research collaboration, contact Ilya Mazunin, creator and curator of PGT-mt Atlas.
Address: ilya.mazunin@gmail.com
What to include in your first message
- your name, position, institution and country;
- the type of data: published (DOI) or unpublished;
- the mtDNA variant(s) and the number of cycles, embryos and outcomes;
- whether unsuccessful outcomes and complete cycles are included;
- your preferred secure method for sharing a data file.
Subject
[PGT-mt Atlas] PGT-mt data contribution
Do not attach medical information about patients to your enquiry. Data files are sent only after a secure channel has been agreed.