IMA

1. SETTING UP OF
ART LAB
DR.RENUKADEVI
SENIOR EMBRYOLOGIST
ARC INTERNATION FERTILITY AND RESEARCH CENTER

2. MAJOR KEY AREAS
 PLACE AND REQUIREMENTS
 Location
 Design
 Equipments
 Consumables & Media
 THE PEOPLES (EMBRYOLOGISTS & GYAENECOLOGIST)
 THE PROTOCOLS OR PROCEDURES
 Procedures and protocols
 Quality control

3.  Location
 Safe
 Nontoxic
 Stable
 Pathogen free environment
 Good air quality
 Design of the laboratory
 Extremely Crucial
 Structural design
 Environmental design.
 Eliminate (VOC’s) and chemical air
 Ventilation air conditioning system (HVAC)
 Air handling unit

4. EQUIPMENTS
INCUBATORS
 Gas phases are 5% or 6% co2
 Triple gas that consists of 6% co2, 5% o2 and 89% n2
 Maintain temperatures at 37°c
 The pH of the bicarbonate buffered culture medium
 Pre-equilibration of culture medium,
 Sperm incubation, oocyte and embryo culture
ANALYZER
 Temperature and gas analyzer
LAMINAR FLOW HOODS WORK ENVIRONMENT
 Handling oocytes and embryos
 Maintain temperatures at 37°c

6.  MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEMS
 Free from other laboratory activities
 Mounted on a vibration free platform.
 Inverted microscope
 Micromanipulator arms,
 Microinjector
 Equipped with 4x, 10x, and 20x objectives with a heated stage
 Arms are capable of three dimensional movements.

8.  MEDICAL REFRIGERATOR
 Crucial for storage of culture medium
 Temperature of the refrigerator is should charted
 TEST TUBE WARMERS
 Maintaining the temperature of follicular aspirates
 Sperm handling
 SUCTION PUMPS
 Follicular fluid aspiration
 CENTRIFUGE
 Prepare Sperm For IUI,IVF
 Intracytoplasmic Spermatozoa Injection (ICSI)

10.  LIQUID NITROGEN TANKS
 Storage of cryopreserved gametes
 Embryos
 Semen/sperm
 Fitted alarm if low level of liquid nitrogen levels
 SELECTION & MAINTENANCE
 Highest quality and reliability
 Safe to use
 Regular servicing is mandatory
 Spare and backup equipment
 Crucial equipment should be on UPS

11. CONSUMABLES
 Should Be Established Brands
 Safe For Culture
 Plastic ware such as test tubes, petri dishes, graduated pipettes, four-
well culture dishes, embryo transfer catheters, glassware such as
injection needles and holders for ICSI, embryo transfer catheters and
oocyte aspiration needles are disposable and for single use only.
 Only powder free gloves should be used
 Expiration dates should be clearly stated.
 Sperm survival test can be used to test

13. CULTURE MEDIUM
 High Quality Culture Media
 Properly Registered Media
 Certification Of Ph, Osmolarity, Endotoxin Level Testing
 Mouse Embryo Assay (MEA) And Sperm Survival Test
 Packaged Properly To Maintain

15. THE PEOPLES (EMBRYOLOGISTS &
GYAENECOLOGIST)
 Important Asset To Consider Would Be The Embryologist
 Laboratory should be directed by a qualified experienced,
and responsible person with expertise in the field of embryology
 Good background in reproductive biology
 Able to counsel patients and maintain close links with the
medical staff
 Hands-on experience in all facets of clinical embryology

16.  Responsible for routine checks on equipment, consumables and
environmental conditions
 Embryologists should be given opportunities to increase their knowledge
and competence through attending conferences, workshops, and
continuing educational programs
 There should be adequate number of staff to do all the procedures.

17. THE PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS
 Laboratory should have a manual detailing all the procedures
 The procedures should include sperm assessment and
preparation for
 ICSI or IVF insemination
 oocyte retrieval &oocyte culture
 IVF Insemination, ICSI, fertilization check,
 embryo culture, preparation of embryo culture dishes,
 embryo selection, embryo transfer, cryopreservation of gametes and embryos etc.

18.  The name and an additional identifier such as an identity
number should be used
 There should be strict adherence to the SOP
 Double witnessing is extremely important when performing
IVF procedures
 When witnessing, both individuals should document the
various steps during which the witnessing was done on to the
patients record book.

19. QUALITY CONTROL
 Incubator temperature and CO2 levels are measured daily
 pH meter probes are used to check the pH of the equilibrating
culture medium in the incubator
 Level of CO2 gas in the tanks is also noted on a daily basis
 The temperature of the heated stages of microscopes should be
checked and recorded

20.  The laboratory must be cleaned daily.
 Alcohol should not be used for cleaning while oocytes and
embryos are being handled
 Waste such as seminal fluid, follicular fluid etc. should be
removed as soon as the procedure is completed
 There should be maintenance schedule for all the crucial
equipment
 Incubators which are the most important equipment in the
laboratory should be serviced twice a year

21.  Microscopes, laminar flow cabinets, medical refrigerators, hot
air sterilizing oven, centrifuge and oocyte suction pump should
be done once a year
 Temperature thermocouple, pH meter and Co2 analyzer should
be recalibrated every year