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Incubation and/or stroage container system and method

a technology of incubation and/or storage containers, applied in the field of incubation and/or storage container assembly, can solve the problems of complex and cumbersome in-vitro fertilization techniques, delicate manipulations requiring skill and dexterity, and the lik

Inactive Publication Date: 2006-10-12
FINN JOSEPH F JR
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Conventional in-vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques are notoriously complex.
They involve aerobic and sterile culture of embryos in Petri dishes at 37° C. in a 5% CO2 enriched atmosphere which requires cumbersome and expensive equipment such as a CO2 incubator operating 24 hours a day during the two or three days required for the fertilization and culture.
It also involves delicate manipulations requiring the skills and dexterity of a laboratory biologist.
The container body is equipped with various valve designs which are either bulky or complex construction and / or uneasy to operate.
Once the IVC container is removed from the vagina, it no longer benefits from this ideal natural environment.

Method used

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  • Incubation and/or stroage container system and method
  • Incubation and/or stroage container system and method
  • Incubation and/or stroage container system and method

Examples

Experimental program
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first embodiment

[0042] the container assembly 10 for incubating and / or storing gametes and / or one or more embryos is illustrated in FIGS. 1-8. Such a container assembly is suitable for intravaginal incubation or culture (IVC) of human or mammalian embryos, and for use as a storage and transport container for gametes and / or one or more human or other mammalian embryos.

[0043] The terms such as “upper” and “lower” are used by convention in the specification and claims, in respect to all embodiments, to refer to relative positions in the container assembly as oriented for example in FIGS. 1 and 2. It goes without saying that such terms are not intended to be in any way limiting as to orientation or location of the container assembly which in actual practice will vary depending on the stage of the procedure in which it is employed.

[0044] The container assembly 10 comprises an inner vessel 20, also referred to as the vessel, the vessel having a closure device 30 for opening and closing access to the int...

third embodiment

[0046] The closure device 30 is provided at the open upper end of the vessel body and comprises in a preferred embodiment a valve 31 including two overlying disc-shaped valve members 32, 42. One of the valve members is fixed and the other is mounted for relative angular movement. In practice, the lower valve member 32 is fixed by ultrasonic welding to the upper end of the vessel in practice, the peripheral flange thereof. Each of the valve members comprises a central panel 34, 44 having a port or orifice 38, 48, adapted to be brought into registration in the fully open position of the closure device and out of communication in the fully closed position of the closure device. Each of these orifices 38, 48, is of the same D-shaped contour in the illustrated embodiment. Such a D-shaped contour may limit the access area to permit the entry of only the thinnest of catheters or the largest of pipettes. Obviously, other contours are possible, in particular circular, such as disclosed in th...

fourth embodiment

[0061] Guiding members (not illustrated in this embodiment) may be provided to guide the movement of the vessel to ensure the locating member 29A at the lower end 29 is correctly engaged into the complementary locating member 63. Such guiding members may for example comprise two or more fin-like elements integral with the outer wall of the vessel or the inner wall of the shell and cooperable with the other of the outer wall of the vessel or the inner wall of the shell. Such guiding members are described and illustrated below in connection with the

[0062] Such a container assembly as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be filled with a suitable biological medium, such as INRA Menoza B2 medium available from Laboratoire CCD in Paris, or Complete P1® Medium with SSS™, ref. 9926, available from Irvine Scientific, Santa Ana, Calif. or any other suitable biological medium for sustaining fertilization of gametes and / or embryo development for up to about three days, whereupon the gametes, namel...

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Abstract

A container assembly (10) comprises a vessel (21) for containing a biological medium, gametes and / or one or more embryo(s). The vessel (21) has a CO2 permeable seal (28) and a closure device (30) for selective access. A buffer chamber (60) for a CO2 enriched atmosphere at least partially surrounds the vessel and is defined by a shell (61). The buffer chamber is in communication with the CO2 permeable wall. Such a container assembly is particularly adapted for IVC in which case the permeable seal (28) prevents ingress of vaginal secretions. The buffer chamber (60) mediates the aqueous pH in the vessel after the container assembly is removed from a CO2 enriched environment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an incubation and / or storage container assembly for gametes and / or at least one embryo and in particular for such a container assembly adapted for use in intravaginal incubation and culture for humans or other mammals. [0003] 2. Description of Prior Art [0004] Conventional in-vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques are notoriously complex. They involve aerobic and sterile culture of embryos in Petri dishes at 37° C. in a 5% CO2 enriched atmosphere which requires cumbersome and expensive equipment such as a CO2 incubator operating 24 hours a day during the two or three days required for the fertilization and culture. It also involves delicate manipulations requiring the skills and dexterity of a laboratory biologist. [0005] Intravaginal culture (IVC) has been developed and comprises maturation of gametes, fertilization of oocytes and embryo development in a sealed container filled with a...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): C12M1/00C12M3/00A61D19/02A61D19/04
CPCA61D19/04A61D19/022Y10S604/906
Inventor RANOUX, CLAUDEWALSH, JOHN E.ETHEREDGE III, ROBERT W.MALONEY, ROBERT P.GLEASON JR., FRANCIS G.
Owner FINN JOSEPH F JR
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