, June 16 -- Chinese scientists have identified a major cause behind the early developmental failure of human embryos, a breakthrough that could improve the success rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments in the future.

The findings, published in the journal 'Cell', come from a study led by researchers at Tsinghua University, who captured the first high-resolution images of human embryos during the first five days after fertilization.

Many couples undergoing IVF face disappointment as more than half of fertilized eggs fail to develop into blastocysts, the stage at which embryos are ready to be implanted in the uterus. The reasons behind this high failure rate have long remained unclear.

To investigate, researchers developed a n...