Dish for culturing embryo

Abstract

To improve workability of a work using a dish for culturing an embryo which is equipped with a plurality of wells.SOLUTION: A bottom part of a dish for culturing an embryo comprises: a plurality of wells which are arranged in a predetermined array direction in plan view, and are capable of housing embryos together with culture solution; a first recess which is capable of holding the culture solution together with each of the wells, and is arranged independently of other first recesses of the plurality of the wells; a communication part which is provided at a position lower than the surface of the bottom part, and allows the well to communicate with the first recess arranged for the well; and a facilitating structure which facilitates a sucking work of the culture solution in the first recess.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a dish used for embryo culture and a method for collecting embryo culture medium for chromosome analysis using the dish. [Background technology]

[0002] With the increasing social demand for infertility treatment, various techniques for culturing fertilized eggs and embryos (hereinafter collectively referred to as embryos) and associated testing methods have been proposed (e.g., Patent Document 1). In recent years, there has been a growing need for chromosomal analysis of embryos during culture, and a method has been proposed for analyzing DNA released from the embryo in the culture medium in which the embryo is cultured, and analyzing chromosomal aneuploidy of the embryo. Such testing requires a certain amount of culture medium. Currently, several microliters to several tens of microliters of culture medium are aspirated and used for testing.

[0003] The applicant has proposed an embryo culture dish that facilitates the uptake of culture fluid, as described in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2014-507664 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-25739 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The dish described in Patent Document 2 is an excellent device that minimizes the impact on the embryos being cultured when the culture medium is siphoned off. However, the operation of removing the dish from the embryo culture device must be completed as quickly as possible and without errors. Therefore, further improvements were considered to improve operability. Similar problems also occurred when handling the dish itself. When workers held the dish between their fingers to lift it or removed or replaced the lid, they could drop or fail to lift it, potentially resulting in the loss of culture medium, treated eggs, and even work time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms or application examples.

[0007] The presently disclosed embryo culture dish has, in a plan view, a maximum dimension in a first direction greater than a maximum dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and includes, in a bottom portion of the embryo culture dish, a plurality of wells each capable of containing an embryo together with a culture medium, a first recess capable of holding the culture medium, the first recess being spaced apart from each of the plurality of wells in the second direction and arranged independently of the other first recesses, and a communication portion located lower than the surface of the bottom portion and connecting the wells to the first recess arranged relative to the wells. This embryo culture dish improves the ease of operations using a multi-well embryo culture dish, such as refilling and replacing the culture medium and transferring embryos. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embryo culture device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an embryo culture dish placed in a culture chamber. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the electrical configuration of the embryo culture device. [Figure 5]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embryo culture dish with a lid. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an embryo culture dish. [Figure 7A] The same front view. [Figure 7B] The same right side view. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the fitting of the lid and the dish. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged portion of an embryo culture dish. [Figure 10] XX arrow view in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the well and the first and second wells are filled with culture medium. [Figure 12] An explanatory diagram showing the state in which the container is filled with culture medium and covered with rice oil. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the culture medium is sucked out from the first well. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a part of the embryo culture dish of the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the shapes of the well and the first recess of the embryo culture dish of the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the shape of a well in the third embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the shape of a well in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the shape of a well in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating an embryo culture dish according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing cross sections of various parts of an embryo culture dish according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is an enlarged plan view of a well provided in an embryo culture dish according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a three-view diagram illustrating an embryo culture dish according to a seventh embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a three-view diagram illustrating a lid body used in the embryo culture dish of the seventh embodiment. [Figure 24]FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a combination of a top perspective view and a bottom perspective view of a cover according to a seventh embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing one form of a round dish as an eighth embodiment. [Figure 26] 26 is an end view of the dish of the eighth embodiment taken along the line XXVI-XXVI of the vertical plane passing through the center. FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing one form of a rectangular dish as a ninth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A. First embodiment: (A-1) Hardware configuration: FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embryo culture device (also called an incubator) 10, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of an embryo culture dish placed in one of the culture chambers of the embryo culture device 10. This embryo culture device 10 is used to culture eggs that have undergone in vitro fertilization treatment (hereinafter referred to as "treated eggs") for a certain period of time in a predetermined culture environment, i.e., at constant temperature and humidity. Treated eggs are not necessarily fertilized eggs, and are therefore cultured for a certain period of time in the embryo culture device 10. Note that in vitro fertilization treatment may be performed using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICS) under a microscope, or it may be conventional in vitro fertilization, in which eggs and sperm are placed together in a predetermined container. The fertilization method used to culture the treated eggs is not important.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, this embryo culture device 10 has a total of nine culture units for embryo culture, with five culture units 11-15 arranged on the lower level and four culture units 21-24 arranged on the upper level. Hereinafter, when referring to components related to the culture units collectively, they will be referred to as culture units 11-24. Naturally, the number of culture units is not important. Each culture unit 11-24 has a culture chamber R11-R24, a cover 17 that seals each of the culture chambers R11-R24, and switches SW11-SW24. By operating switches SW11-SW24, the cover 17 of the corresponding culture unit 11-24 is opened or closed by a drive mechanism (not shown). Naturally, the culture units 11-24 may be configured to be opened and closed manually. A silicone rubber seal is provided on the cover 17 on the side facing the culture chambers R11 to R24, and when the cover 17 is closed, the interiors of the culture chambers R11 to R24 are kept airtight by this seal.

[0011] Carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and nitrogen gas (N2) are supplied to the embryo culture device 10 from external gas cylinders. Gas ports 18, 19 through which these gases are supplied are provided on the rear of the embryo culture device 10. Filter ports 28, 29, to which a filter 27 is attached, are also provided on the rear of the embryo culture device 10. This filter 27 is used to remove foreign matter such as dust from the outside air taken in by an internal pump (not shown). Inside the embryo culture device 10, carbon dioxide gas (CO2), nitrogen gas (N2) input through the gas ports 18, 19, and air input through the filter 27 are mixed in a predetermined ratio to generate a gas mixture. The ratio of each gas in the gas mixture is measured by a sensor (not shown) and is always maintained at the same ratio.

[0012] A display 70 is provided on the surface of the case body 20. The surface of the display 70 is a touch panel, and various information can be displayed by tapping displayed buttons, etc. The case body 20 is also provided with a general-purpose connector 26 such as USB-C or Thunderbolt (registered trademark), to which an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse can be connected to input various information. Display examples on the display 70 and connecting other devices to the general-purpose connector 26 will be described later.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows the culture unit 11 with the cover 17 open. Culture chambers R11 to R24 are provided in each of the culture units 11 to 24. Since the culture chambers R11 to R24 have the same structure, the following description will be given taking the culture chamber R11 of the culture unit 11 as an example. The culture chamber R11 is provided with a holding frame 180 on which the dish 100 is placed. A supply port 43 and an exhaust port 44 are provided on the bottom of the culture chambers R11 to 24. The supply port 43 is an opening for supplying the gas mixture to the culture chamber R11. The exhaust port 44 is an opening for circulating the gas mixture. The exhaust port 44 is provided in a position covered by the holding frame 180. As mentioned above, the culture chamber R11 becomes almost airtight when the cover 17 is closed, so the internal gas environment is kept constant, but in order to make the temperature distribution within the culture chamber R11 uniform, the gas mixture is supplied from the supply port 43 and exhausted from the exhaust port 44.

[0014] The culture chamber R11 is provided with panel heaters (not shown) on its sidewalls and bottom. The panel heaters maintain a constant temperature inside the culture chamber R11. Although not described here, the culture chambers R11 to R24 are provided with not only heaters but also temperature sensors, gas concentration sensors, and humidity sensors (not shown), which can detect the temperature, gas concentration, and humidity inside the culture chamber R11. By feeding back signals from these sensors, the culture chamber R11 is maintained at a constant temperature and humidity, and the gas concentration is also maintained constant. Instead of detecting the temperature, etc. inside the culture chamber R11, the environment inside the culture chamber R11 may be maintained constant by maintaining constant the temperature, humidity, gas concentration, etc. of the gas mixture supplied from the supply port 43.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, a dish 100 containing embryos is placed in the holding frame 180 of the culture chamber R11. The dish 100 consists of a dish body 110 and a lid 120, and is placed in the culture chamber R11 with the lid 120 attached. The lid 120 is transparent, so the shape of the dish body 110 can be seen, but in FIG. 2, the shape of the dish body 110 is indicated by a dashed line. The dish body 110, including the lid 120, is symmetrical and has a vertically elongated octagonal shape. The outer shape of the dish body 110 may be horizontally elongated, square, or a 2×N polygon (N is an integer of 2 or greater), or may be a circle with a flattened portion in the diametric direction. The dish body 110 is surrounded by an outer peripheral wall 104, and the bottom 106, excluding the peripheral edge, has storage compartments 200 for storing embryos arranged in 3 columns and 6 rows (18 in total). The detailed configuration of the dish 100 and the container 200 will be described later.

[0016] The configuration for capturing images of the dish 100 from below will be described with reference to FIG. 3, which is a view taken along the arrows III-III in FIG. 2. In the figure, the reference character H11 denotes the continuous sidewall and bottom portion that form the culture chamber R11. As shown in the figure, an illumination unit 170 is provided inside the cover 17 directly above the dish 100. An opening 198 is provided in the bottom H11 of the culture chamber R11 directly below a position corresponding to the center of the dish 100. A camera module 51 and a lens module 52 are provided in the case body 20 at a position corresponding to the opening 198. The dish 100 is illuminated by the illumination unit 170 provided in the cover 17, and the embryos 25 contained in the container 200 are imaged by the camera module 51. For ease of understanding, the culture solution CS and mineral oil OL, which are filled into the dish 100 as needed, are not shown in the figure.

[0017] In this example, the embryo 25 was imaged from below the dish 100. However, if the dish 100 is imaged from above, a camera module can be provided in the center of the cover 17 instead of the illumination unit 170 of the cover 17. The illumination unit 170 can be provided on the camera module 51 or in a position surrounding the camera module 51. Furthermore, in this example, an opening 198 is provided in the bottom H11 for imaging purposes, but the opening can be closed with an optical member such as highly transparent glass to improve the airtightness of the culture chamber R11. The optical member can incorporate an illumination unit or a magnifying lens.

[0018] Next, the processing performed in the embryo culture device 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the electrical configuration of the embryo culture device 10. As shown in the figure, the embryo culture device 10 is provided with a control unit 60. In addition to a known CPU 61, ROM 62, and RAM 63, the control unit 60 also includes a memory interface 64 for exchanging data with a memory card 65, a general-purpose I / O interface 66 for exchanging signals with external devices, an incubation chamber interface 67 for exchanging signals for controlling the environment within the incubation chambers R11 to R24, a camera interface 68 for issuing imaging instructions to the camera module 51 and acquiring captured images, and a video interface (abbreviated as video I / F) 69 for displaying images on a display 70. For convenience of illustration, the camera module 51 is depicted below the dish 100; however, when capturing images from above, the camera module 51 is positioned above the dish 100.

[0019] The CPU 61 uses a high-speed processor that incorporates a DSP function for high-speed processing of fertilization determination based on images (described later) and a vector calculation function for performing determination processing using neural networks, etc. The ROM 62 stores programs that implement processing in the embryo culture device 10, including the time-lapse control processing (described later). The CPU 61 implements necessary processing and control by appropriately reading these programs from the ROM 62, loading them into the RAM 63, and executing them. The memory card 65 stores images captured by the camera module 51 as well as information about the culture environment, such as the temperature of each culture chamber R11 to R24. Instead of the memory card 65, a magnetic storage medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor storage medium such as an SSD may be used. Data may also be stored in a so-called cloud connected via a network.

[0020] The display 70 has a touch panel on its surface, and buttons and the like displayed on the display 70 can be selected by touching the display 70. In this embodiment, the display 70 is provided integrally with the embryo culture device 10, but it may be provided separately from the embryo culture device 10 and connected by wire or wirelessly. Alternatively, the embryo culture device 10 may be connected to a computer via a network or the like, and the computer's display may be used as the display 70. Alternatively, a highly portable terminal such as a mobile phone or tablet may be used as the display 70.

[0021] The general-purpose I / O interface 66 is connected to switches SW11-SW24 provided on the embryo culture device 10, a drive device 71 that opens and closes the cover 17, a warning device 72 that generates a warning sound, and a mixture adjustment device 73 that adjusts the mixture. The mixture adjustment device 73 includes a pressure adjustment valve that adjusts the pressure of carbon dioxide gas, nitrogen gas, etc. supplied to the gas ports 18 and 19, a pump that takes in air through a filter 27, and a pump that sends the mixture to the culture chambers R11-R24. The culture chamber interface 67 is connected to panel heaters provided in each culture chamber R11-R24 and control valves V11-V24 that control the amount of mixture supplied. The control valves V11-V24 are provided in the piping that runs from the mixture supply pipe 84 that supplies the mixture to the culture chambers R11-R24. In the following description, when a specific culture chamber is not specified, each part may be referred to simply with the suffix n, such as culture chamber Rn.

[0022] A computer (hereinafter referred to as PC) 90 is connected to the general-purpose I / O interface 66 via a general-purpose connector 26. The PC 90 includes a rotary control device 95 in addition to a display 91 and a keyboard (not shown). The control device 95 has a small-diameter dial 96 attached to a roughly circular base 97. Rotating the dial 96 left and right allows the display of multiple time-lapse images displayed on the display 91 to scroll forward and backward in chronological order. This type of device is also called a rotary selector. The dial 96 can be rotated left and right and can also be pressed down, allowing for a "confirm" operation similar to a mouse button when selecting one of the currently displayed images. Alternatively, a dedicated button may be provided on the base 97 to perform the confirm or select operation. If time-lapse images are captured every 10 minutes for 24 hours, for example, 6 × 24 = 144 images will be captured for each embryo. This type of rotary pointing device is useful for quickly referencing multiple images to confirm fertilization.

[0023] (A-2) Dish details: FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the dish body 110, which is composed of the dish body 110 and the lid 120. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the dish body 110, FIG. 7A is a front view (viewed from the arrow VIIA), and FIG. 7B is a right side view (viewed from the arrow VIIB). The following description will primarily focus on FIG. 5 and refer to each figure as appropriate. As shown in the figure, the dish body 110 is made of transparent polystyrene resin and has an octagonal shape that is elongated in one direction in plan view. The center of the longitudinal direction is sometimes referred to as the longitudinal axis AX, as shown in FIG. 6. The dish body 110 is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis AX. The dish body 110 basically has a thick bottom 106 with 18 storage compartments 200 formed therein and an outer peripheral wall 104 that extends upward from the periphery of the bottom 106 and surrounds the bottom 106. The dish body 110 may be formed by cutting out a transparent resin or by molding using a mold. It is also possible to first use a mold to form the dish, and then carve out the details, such as the storage section 200 described below. Instead of using a tool to carve out the details, laser processing may be used. The dish body 110 only needs to be transparent for the storage section 200, which may be optically observed, and the rest of the dish body 110 may be translucent or opaque. Furthermore, any other transparent resin, such as acrylic resin, may be used as long as it can make the storage section 200 transparent. In this embodiment, the octagonal dish body 110 is elongated in one direction, but it may be the same length and width as long as the storage sections 200 can be arranged.

[0024] As shown in the figure, six sets of three storage units 200 are provided in the left-right direction, with six sets of these provided along the longitudinal axis AX. All of the storage units 200 have the same shape. The storage units 200 are arranged in 3 columns and 6 rows, and on the outer sides along the longitudinal axis AX, recesses 221-223 and 231-233 are provided for placing cleaning drops for embryo washing. Further outside recess 222, a liquid reservoir 241, which is a half-moon-shaped recess for placing a pipette cleaning drop for cleaning a working pipette, is formed. The storage units 200 and recesses 221-223 and 231-233 are portions that are filled with culture medium during use and are provided on the bottom 106 of the dish body 110. A raised portion 105 is provided to surround this portion from three directions: left, right, and bottom.

[0025] Therefore, when viewed from the storage section 200, a raised portion 105 that is one step higher than the bottom portion 106 is provided on the outer periphery of the bottom portion 106, and the outside of this is surrounded by an outer peripheral wall 104 that is taller than the raised portion 105. A groove 245 is formed in the raised portion 105 at a position close to the depression 232. This groove 245 is used to check the level of the culture solution CS and the mineral oil OL when filling the dish body 110 with the culture solution CS and the mineral oil OL, which will be described later.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the outer peripheral wall 104 surrounding the raised portion 105 opens outward as it goes upward. This is to make it easier to fit the lid 120 onto the dish body 110. FIG. 8 shows how the lid 120 fits onto the dish body 110. FIG. 8 shows the dish body 110 and the lid 120 as viewed from the arrows VIII-VIII in FIG. 6. The upper part of the figure shows the state in which the lid 120 is removed, and the lower part shows the state in which the lid 120 is fitted onto the dish body 110. The outer peripheral portion 124 of the lid 120 housed inside the outer peripheral wall 104 rests on the raised portion 105, and four lid support members 111 to 114 are provided on the raised portion 105 to maintain a space between the outer peripheral portion 124 and the raised portion 105, as shown in FIG. 6. Also, as shown in Fig. 6, positioning protrusions 116-119 for positioning the outer periphery 124 of the lid 120 are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral wall 104 of the dish body 110. Some of these are shown in Fig. 8. Because the outer peripheral wall 104 of the dish body 110 has a shape in which the inner diameter opens slightly upward and the positioning protrusions 116-119 are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral wall 104, when the lid 120 is placed inside the dish body 110, the lid 120 is placed inside the outer peripheral wall 104 without rattling.

[0027] As already explained, the outer peripheral wall 104 of the dish body 110 is formed in an octagonal shape to match the shape of the dish body 110. Of the eight faces of the outer peripheral wall 104, two faces in the longitudinal axis AX direction are notched, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A, to form first notches 131 and second notches 132. Furthermore, of the eight faces of the outer peripheral wall 104, two faces in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis AX direction are similarly notched, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7B, to form third notches 133 and fourth notches 134. Therefore, even if the lid 120 is housed inside the outer peripheral wall 104, the presence of the first notches 131 and second notches 132 allows the lid 120 to be removed without touching the dish body 110 by clamping it along the longitudinal axis AX. This also applies when attempting to clamp the lid 120 from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis AX.

[0028] On the other hand, for the dish body 110, microprotrusions 141 to 148 are provided on the outer side of the upper edge of all eight sides of the outer peripheral wall 104. This is also true for the first notch 131 to the fourth notch 134. The first notch 131 is provided with a microprotrusion 141, the second notch 132 with a microprotrusion 145, the third notch 133 with a microprotrusion 147, and the fourth notch 134 with a microprotrusion 147. When a user handling the dish body 110, such as an embryologist, holds the dish body 110 between two fingers to lift it from the incubation chamber R11 or place it on the stage of a microscope, the microprotrusions 141 to 148 help to firmly hold the dish body 110. A user pinches the opposing outer peripheral walls 104 of the octagonal dish body 110 with two fingers at diagonal positions. Since the small protrusions 141-148 are provided on the outer upper ends of each outer peripheral wall 104, the user's fingers are prevented from slipping and dropping the dish body 110. Furthermore, since the protrusions 141-148 protrude less than 1 mm, there is virtually no chance of the protrusions getting caught on something and causing an accident. In the dish 100 of this embodiment, the lid 120 fits inside the outer peripheral wall 104 of the dish body 110, as shown in FIG. 8 . Therefore, the dish 100 with the lid 120 is almost as easy to hold as the dish body 110 alone, and the user's fingers are prevented from slipping and dropping the dish 100. Of course, such small protrusions may be provided on the outer periphery of the top surface of the lid 120 to make the lid 120 itself easier to hold.

[0029] (A-3) Details of the storage section 200: Next, the structure and role of the storage sections 200 provided in the dish body 110 of the dish 100 will be described. As already explained, a total of 18 storage sections 200 are provided in the vertically long dish body 110, arranged in 3 columns and 6 rows. A number is attached above the center of each storage section 200 to distinguish the storage section 200. Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan view showing storage sections 200 numbered 1 to 6 and their vicinity. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the storage section 200 numbered 1 as viewed from the arrow XX.

[0030] As shown in the figure, the container 200 has a rectangular raised portion 214 in its center, where a conical well 210 for containing an embryo 25 is formed. A first recess 211 and a second recess 212 are provided on both sides of the raised portion 214, giving the container 200 an overall rectangular shape. In the following description, the direction in which the well 210 and the first and second recesses 211 and 212 are arranged in the container 200 is referred to as the left-right direction, and the direction perpendicular to this is referred to as the front-rear direction. The front-rear direction coincides with the direction of the longitudinal axis AX defined for the dish body 110. The first recess 211 and the second recess 212 do not necessarily have to have the same shape as long as they perform the same function. The container 200 may also have only one of the first recess 211 and the second recess 212.

[0031] The well 210 is provided at the center of a rectangular raised portion 214. In this embodiment, the well 210 is conical. However, as long as it can stably accommodate one embryo 25, it is not limited to a conical shape and may be hemispherical or have a conic section such as a parabola or hyperbola in cross section. For ease of understanding, FIG. 10 illustrates the embryo 25 at the deepest part of the well 210. However, the embryo 25 is not accommodated in a well 210 that is not filled with the culture solution CS. The embryo 25 is transplanted into the accommodation section 200, including the well 210, in a state filled with the culture solution CS. As shown in the figure, the first and second recesses 211 and 212 are deepest where they contact the raised portion 214 and have bottom surfaces 215 and 216 that gently slope outward. The first recess 211 and the second recess 212 are symmetrical with respect to the well 210. Therefore, unless necessary, the shapes of the first recess 211 and the second recess 212 will be described below with reference to the first recess 211.

[0032] The raised portion 214 is higher than the bottom surface 215 of the first recess 211, but is formed at a lower position when viewed from the plane of the bottom 106 of the dish body 110. Therefore, the first recess 211 and the second recess 212 are not separated by the raised portion 214, and form a continuous communicating portion 217 at a position lower than the bottom 106. As a result, the first recess 211, the second recess 212, and the communicating portion 217, including the well 210, form the storage portion 200, which is an integrated space recessed from the plane of the bottom 106. The raised portion 214 allows the culture solution CS to flow in the communicating portion 217, but functions as a movement inhibiting portion that inhibits the movement of the embryo 25 stored in the well 210.

[0033] (A-4) Filling and aspirating culture medium: As described above, the first recess 211, well 210, and second recess 212 are spatially connected at the top of the storage unit 200. Therefore, as illustrated in Fig. 11, when the culture solution CS is filled into the first recess 211 of the storage unit 200 using the pipette 280, the surface of the culture solution CS rises, and when it eventually exceeds the height of the raised portion 214, the culture solution CS fills the well 210 and the second recess 212. When actually filling the storage unit 200 with the culture solution CS, since the volume V of the storage unit 200 is known, it is sufficient to suck up an amount of culture solution CS corresponding to the volume, specifically, a slightly smaller amount, into the pipette 280 and then transfer it to the storage unit 200. Of course, if the volume of the culture solution used for culture is further reduced, the volume of the storage unit 200 can be set accordingly.

[0034] After filling all of the receptacles 200 containing embryos 25 with culture solution CS, the culture solution CS is covered with mineral oil OL before placing the embryos 25 inside the wells 210. The mineral oil OL is used to prevent evaporation of the culture solution CS filled in the receptacles 200. The culture solution CS in each receptacle 200 does not exceed the surface level of the bottom 106, and the culture solution CS and embryos 25 in each receptacle 200 are kept separated by the mineral oil OL. The raised portion 105 has a groove 245, so work can be performed so that the mineral oil OL reaches this level. The lower part of Figure 12 illustrates an example of each receptacle 200 filled with culture solution CS and covered with mineral oil OL. Figure 12 shows the dish 100, consisting of the dish body 110 and lid 120, viewed from the same position as the view of the arrows III-III in Figure 2.

[0035] As shown in the figure, the lid 120 is placed on the dish body 110 in this state, and as shown in Figure 2, the dish 100 is set in the holder frame 180 of the culture chamber Rn in the embryo culture device 10, and culture is performed. The culture chamber Rn is maintained at a predetermined temperature, humidity, and gas concentration, but because a gap is formed between the dish body 110 and the lid 120, the environment inside the dish 100 becomes the same as the environment in the culture chamber Rn within a short period of time. The gap is formed by placing the edge of the outer periphery 124 of the lid 120 on the lid support members 111-114 provided at four locations on the raised portion 105, and by positioning the outer periphery 124 of the lid 120 by the positioning protrusions 116-119 provided at four locations on the inner side of the outer periphery wall 104. As shown in the figure, the outer wall 104 of the dish body 110 has a shape in which the inner diameter opens slightly toward the top, and the outer peripheral portion 124 of the lid body 120 has a shape in which the inner diameter narrows slightly toward the tip, making it easy to insert the lid body 120 into the dish body 110.

[0036] In this embodiment, after continuing to culture the embryos 25, at a desired timing, such as 72 hours after confirming fertilization, the dish 100 is removed from the culture chamber Rn of the embryo culture device 10, the lid 120 is removed, and the culture solution CS in the container 200, which is covered with mineral oil OL, is aspirated using a pipette 280. The aspirated culture solution CS is used for detecting chromosomal aneuploidy, etc. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13 , the pipette 280 is used to suck up the culture solution CS from the container 200. As shown in FIG. 13 , the pipette 280 approaches the container 200 from the left and right. The outer peripheral wall 104 of the dish body 110 has a third notch 133 and a fourth notch 134 formed in the left and right directions. Therefore, even if the first recess 211 of the container 200 is close to the outer peripheral wall 104, the pipette 280 can easily pass through these notches and approach the container 200. Moreover, since the bottom surface 215 of the first recess 211 is inclined, the tip of the inserted pipette 280 can be easily moved to the deepest part.

[0037] (A-5) Effects of the first embodiment: As described above, the dish 100 of this embodiment includes 18 storage sections 200 in the dish body 110, and each storage section 200 has a first recess 211 and a second recess 212 that are provided independently of the first recess 211 and the second recess 212 of the other storage sections 200. Moreover, the first recess 211 in each storage section 200 is located in the same direction, in this case, to the right, relative to the well 210. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 , when performing an operation such as aspirating the culture solution CS from the first recess 211 with a pipette 280, the pipette 280 can be moved toward and away from the first recess 211 in the same direction for all storage sections 200, eliminating the need to rotate or invert the position of the dish body 110. When the dish 100 is removed from the incubation chamber Rn of the embryo incubation device 10, an environment suitable for incubation, it is desirable to complete the operations and return it to the incubation chamber Rn as quickly as possible. Therefore, eliminating the need for operations such as rotating the dish body 110 is extremely advantageous. Furthermore, since the first recess 211 and the second recess 212 are located symmetrically in the left-right direction relative to the well 210, even a left-handed embryologist refilling or aspirating the culture medium CS from the left side can proceed starting with the container 200 numbered 1 without having to move the dish body 110 to an inverted position. Instead of the configuration in which the numbers are numbered from left to right in each row as in this embodiment, the order of the numbers may be reversed every other row, such as "1" → "2" → "3" from left to right for the first row, and "6" → "5" → "4" from left to right for the second row. In this case, the amount of movement of the pipette 280 required for operations according to the numbers may be reduced, thereby potentially shortening the operation time.

[0038] Furthermore, in the dish 100 of this embodiment, the third notch 133 and the fourth notch 134 are provided in the left-right direction of the dish body 110, so that the outer peripheral wall 104 is less likely to get in the way when inserting the tip of the pipette 280 into the storage section 200. This increases the degree of freedom when operating the pipette 280.

[0039] Furthermore, in the dish 100 of this embodiment, the storage section 200 of the dish body 110 is composed of a well 210 and a first recess 211 and a second recess 212 connected thereto. The well 210, the first recess 211, and the second recess 212 are separated by a raised portion 214, and the height of this raised portion 214 is lower than the bottom 106 around the storage section 200. This allows the culture solution CS filling one storage section 200 to be separated from the culture solution CS filling other storage sections 200. On the other hand, the well 210, the first recess 211, and the second recess 212 form the same space beyond the raised portion 214. Therefore, in the culture solution CS filled up to a position exceeding the height of the raised portion 214, DNA derived from the embryo 25 contained in the culture solution CS can freely move within the storage section 200, i.e., from the well 210 to the first recess 211 and the second recess 212.

[0040] 11, by aspirating the culture solution CS in the first well 211 into the pipette 280, DNA and the like derived from the embryo 25 in the well 210 can be collected. Furthermore, when the CS in the first well 211 is emptied by aspirating the culture solution CS using the pipette 280, the presence of the raised portion 214 prevents any further aspirating of the culture solution CS in the well 210 or the second well 212. Therefore, the culture solution CS necessary for the embryo 25 is not lost from the well 210.

[0041] B. Second embodiment: Next, a second embodiment of the dish will be described. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the shape of the storage section 200B in the dish body 110B, which together with the lid constitutes the dish, is different. However, other than this, that is, the outer shape of the dish 100B and the arrangement of the raised portion 105 and bottom portion 106, are the same as in the first embodiment. The dish body 110B of the second embodiment uses storage sections 200B with a different shape than in the first embodiment. The number of storage sections 200B is the same as in the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, there is no recess corresponding to the second recess 212 in the first embodiment, and the shape of the first recess 211B is also different.

[0042] The dish body 110B of the second embodiment has the same shape as that of the first embodiment, and also includes a raised portion 214B that functions as a movement inhibitor between the well 210B and the first recess 211B, and a communication portion 217B that communicates between the well 210B and the first recess 211B. However, in the storage unit 200B of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrows XV-XV in FIG. 14, the first recess 211B does not have a tapered shape in which the bottom surface 215B becomes shallower toward the side opposite the well 210B. Of course, as in the first embodiment, the bottom surface 215B may also have a tapered shape. Note that for ease of understanding, FIG. 15 shows the planar shape of the storage unit 200B at the top of the cross-sectional view taken along the arrows XV-XV. In addition, in Figure 15 and similar figures described below, the mineral oil OL is omitted from the illustration to avoid cluttering the illustration, but in reality, in either case, when the embryo 25 is placed in the well 210, a layer of mineral oil OL is formed on top of the culture medium CS.

[0043] The dish body 110B of the second embodiment having the above configuration not only exhibits the same effects as the first embodiment, but also has a bottom surface 215B of the first recess 211B that is not inclined, so that the capacity of the first recess 211B can be approximately doubled compared to the first recess 211 having the same planar shape. Therefore, even without a second recess, the amount of culture solution CS that can be sucked up by the pipette 280 can be ensured.

[0044] C. Third embodiment: Next, a dish body 110C according to a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the dish body 110C according to the third embodiment, which constitutes a dish together with a lid, as a cross-sectional view taken along the XV-XV arrow in FIG. 14. The dish body 110C according to the third embodiment does not have a shape corresponding to the raised portion 214 of the first and second embodiments. Even with this shape, if the tip of the pipette 280 is not inserted into the well 210C but remains in the first recess 211C, the culture solution CS remains in the well 210C even when the culture solution CS is aspirated with the pipette 280, preventing the embryo 25 from being exposed to the culture solution CS. In this case, the slope of the conical well 210C allows the culture solution CS to flow through the communicating portion 217C and functions as a movement-inhibiting portion that inhibits the movement of the embryo 25 from the well 210C. This configuration also achieves the same effects as the second embodiment. Furthermore, the housing portion 200C can be easily processed.

[0045] D. Fourth embodiment: In some of the above embodiments, the wells 210, 210B, and 210C are all conical in shape. However, in a dish body 110D of a fourth embodiment, which constitutes a dish together with a lid, the container section 200D may be a hemispherical well 210D, as shown in FIG. 17 . In the illustrated example, a microwell 219 smaller than the well 210D is formed in the center of the hemispherical well 210D. The embryo 25 is contained in this microwell 219. Even with this shape, if the tip of the pipette 280 is not inserted into the well 210D but remains in the first recess 211D, even if the culture solution CS is aspirated with the pipette 280, the culture solution CS remains in the well 210D, and the embryo 25 is not exposed from the culture solution CS. In this case, the slope of the hemispherical well 210D allows the culture solution CS to flow through the communicating portion 217D and functions as a movement inhibiting portion that inhibits the movement of the embryo 25 from the well 210D. The bottom surface 215D of the first recess 211D may be tapered, with the depth of water gradually decreasing on the opposite side of the well 210D, as in other embodiments. Of course, the shape of the bottom surface 215D may be other shapes, such as wavy or may have grooves formed therein to guide the movement of the pipette 280.

[0046] E. Fifth embodiment: Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 18, a dish body 110E of the fifth embodiment, which together with the lid constitutes a dish, connects a well 210E constituting a storage section 200E and a first recess 211E via a narrow migration-inhibiting passage 218. Other configurations are similar to those of the other embodiments, and the well 210E and the first recess 211E are connected via a communication section 217E. When culture solution CS is sucked up from the first recess 211E with a pipette 280, the culture solution CS in the well 210E is also sucked out via the communication section 217E and the migration-inhibiting passage 218. However, because the bottom of the migration-inhibiting passage 218 is higher than the bottom surface 215E, the level of the culture solution CS in the well 210E does not fall below the height of the bottom of the migration-inhibiting passage 218, and the embryo 25 is not exposed to the culture solution CS.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the well 210E and the first well 211E are smaller than the smallest expected diameter of the embryo 25 to be handled, so that the embryo 25 does not move toward the first well 211E. Other effects are similar to those of the other embodiments.

[0048] F. Sixth embodiment: Next, we will describe a dish body 110F as a sixth embodiment, which constitutes a dish together with a lid. This dish body 110F has a shape similar to that of the dish body 110 of the first embodiment in plan view. As shown in FIG. 19 , it includes multiple storage sections 200F, recesses 221-223 and 231-233 for placing cleaning drops for embryo cleaning, and a half-moon-shaped liquid reservoir 241 for placing pipette cleaning drops for cleaning working pipettes. Furthermore, the outer peripheral wall 104 surrounding the periphery of the dish body 110F has microprotrusions 141-148 formed on the upper end thereof. This prevents or prevents the user from dropping the dish body 110F when holding it between their fingers. For ease of illustration, the reference numerals indicating the microprotrusions 143-147 have been omitted.

[0049] The dish body 110F of the sixth embodiment differs from the dish body 110 of the first embodiment in the shape of the bottom 106F of the dish body 110F in which the storage sections 200F and the recesses 221-223 and 231-233 are formed, and in that there are a total of 15 storage sections 200F arranged in 3 columns and 5 rows, with the row spacing between the storage sections 200F being somewhat wider. To illustrate the shape of the bottom 106F, cross-sectional view A taken along a vertical plane XXA-XXA passing through the centers of the recesses 221-223, cross-sectional view B taken along a vertical plane XXB-XXB passing through the centers of the three storage sections 200F arranged in the row direction, and cross-sectional view C taken along a vertical plane XXC-XXC passing through the centers of the recesses 222 and 232 are all shown in FIG. 20 .

[0050] As shown in each cross-sectional view, the bottom 106F of this dish body 110F, unlike the first embodiment, is formed to a thickness that conforms to the surface shape, and a gap GA is formed in the bottom of the body 110F that is an inverse of the unevenness of the surface shape of 106F. Similar to the first embodiment, the storage section 200F arranged in a 3-column by 5-row arrangement in this dish body 110F includes a well 210F and a first recess 211F and a second recess 212F on either side of the well 210F. The bottoms 215 and 216 of the first recess 211F and the second recess 212F are shaped substantially similarly to the first embodiment and slope from the end toward the well 210F. The first recess 211F and the second recess 212F are lowest at the portion that contacts the well 210F, and a raised portion 214F that is slightly higher than the deepest portion is formed between this deepest portion and the well 210F, as shown in FIG. 21 . Therefore, even if the culture medium in first recess 211F is emptied by suctioning the culture medium using a pipette or the like, the presence of raised portion 214F prevents any more culture medium from being sucked out from well 210F. Therefore, when an embryo is housed in well 210F, the culture medium necessary for the embryo will not be lost from well 210F.

[0051] Furthermore, since the bottom 106F is formed thin with a predetermined thickness, the dish body 110 can be made lighter and the amount of synthetic resin required for its formation can be reduced. Furthermore, when imaging from the bottom side, the thin bottom 106F makes it easier to observe the inside of the storage section 200F. Conversely, when an illumination device is provided on the bottom side and observation is performed with a microscope or imaging is performed with a camera from above the dish body 110F, it is easy to brighten the field of view. Other effects of the dish body 110F of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0052] G. Seventh embodiment: Next, a dish 300 as a seventh embodiment will be described. The shape of the dish 300 is shown in FIG. 22. The figure shows a plan view of the dish 300, a right side view to the right of the plan view, and a front view below the plan view. As shown in the figure, the dish 300 is composed of a dish body 310 and a lid 320 that can be placed over the dish body 310. The dish body 310 of the dish 300 of this embodiment has the same shape as the dish body 110F of the sixth embodiment, but the shape of the lid 320 is different from the lid 120 of these embodiments.

[0053] As in the other embodiments, the dish body 310 and the lid body 320 are formed from a transparent synthetic resin, so that the shape of the storage section 200 of the dish body 310 located under the lid body 320 would normally be visible. However, since the shape of the dish body 310 is the same as that of the dish body 110F, the shape of the dish body 310 has been omitted from the drawings.

[0054] The details of the shape of lid body 320 are shown in Figure 23. The illustrated form, consisting of a plan view, a right side view, and a front view, is the same as that shown in Figure 22. As shown in both figures, lid body 320 is formed in the shape of a thin octagonal plate in plan view, unlike the conventional lid body 120, and bent end portions 335, 336 that form an angle of approximately 90 degrees are formed integrally with two opposing long sides of the lid body 320. On the other hand, the opposing short sides of lid body 320 are not particularly bent, and are formed as they are as end portions 331, 332.

[0055] Ribs 321, 322, 325, and 326 are formed on the surface of the lid 320 to position the dishes 300 when they are stacked one on top of the other. The ribs 321 and 322 are formed on the inside of each of the two ends 331 and 332 and parallel to the ends 331 and 332, respectively, and the ribs 325 and 326 are formed on the inside of each of the two bent ends 335 and 336 and parallel to the bent ends 335 and 336, respectively. The ribs 321, 322, 325, and 326 also help to increase the strength of the lid 320, which is formed on a flat surface.

[0056] Furthermore, label attachment areas 341 and 342 are provided on the surface of lid 320, closer to the center of lid 320 than ribs 321 and 322, respectively. Label attachment areas 341 and 342 are located slightly lower than the surface of lid 320, about 0.5 mm in this case, and are fitted with labels bearing information about the treated eggs or embryos contained in dish 300, such as numbers, letters, or barcodes for identifying the corresponding patients. If dish 300 is to be disposable, letters or codes may be written directly on label attachment areas 341 and 342.

[0057] FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing the lid 320 in a combination of a top perspective view and a bottom perspective view. As shown in the figure, the upper ends of the bent ends 335, 336 of the lid 320 of the seventh embodiment are formed with ridges 365, 366 that protrude outward by approximately 1 mm. These ridges 365, 366 function as anti-slip devices when handled by a user, similar to the small protrusions 141-148 formed outward at the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 104 of the dish body 110, 110F of the first and second embodiments. Specifically, when lifting the lid 320 from a table or the like, a user typically pinches the opposing bent ends 335, 336 between two fingers, such as the thumb and index finger. At this time, the ridges 365, 366 formed outward at the upper ends of the bent ends 335, 336 support the user's grip, allowing the user to hold the lid 320 stably. Since the lid 320 is raised above the surface on which it is placed, such as a table, by the height of the bent ends 335, 336, it is easy to pick up the lid 320 placed on a table or the like.

[0058] Furthermore, since this dish 300 includes the storage section 200 described in the first and second embodiments, it is also possible to easily suck up the culture solution stored in the storage section 200. Furthermore, in the dish 300 of the seventh embodiment, the lid 320 covers the dish body 310, thereby preventing or suppressing the intrusion of dust. Moreover, the distance Wc between the two bent ends 335, 336 bent from the surface of the lid 320 is wider than the width Wd of the dish body 310, so the bent ends 335, 336 protrude from the dish body 310. A fourth notch 134 and a third notch 133 are provided at corresponding positions on the dish body 310, and the bent end 335 covers the fourth notch 134, and the bent end 336 covers the third notch 133. Therefore, even if the culture medium level is high, the culture medium does not adhere to the bent ends 335, 336 due to surface tension, and when the lid body 320 is removed from the dish body 310, the culture medium does not spill out.

[0059] H. Eighth embodiment: Next, a dish 400 as an eighth embodiment will be described. As shown in the perspective view of Fig. 25 and the end view of Fig. 26 taken along the line XXVI-XXVI of Fig. 26, this dish 400 comprises a dish body 420 and a lid 410 that covers the dish. This dish 400 is compatible with standard dishes with diameters of 35 mm or 60 mm that are used in fields such as biochemical experiments and observations and reproductive medicine.

[0060] As shown in both figures, this dish 400 has a protrusion 415 that protrudes upward and outward around the entire periphery at the upper end (the end opposite the tip) of the lid-side outer peripheral wall 411 of the lid 410, i.e., at the outer corner. In addition, a protrusion 425 that protrudes outward around the entire periphery at the center of the body-side outer peripheral wall 421 of the dish body 420. This allows a user handling the dish 400, such as an embryologist, to firmly hold the dish 400 when holding it between two fingers to lift it or placing it on a microscope stage. Regardless of where the user holds the round dish 400, the protrusions 425 around the entire periphery can prevent or avoid the user dropping the dish 400 due to slipping their fingers. Moreover, the amount of protrusion of this protrusion 425 is less than 1 mm, so there is almost no possibility that the protrusion will get caught on something and cause an unexpected accident.

[0061] Since the lid 410 also has protrusions 415 on its outer periphery, the lid 410 can be easily and reliably gripped while the dish 400 is placed on a desk or microscope stage. The protrusions 415 of the lid 410 also protrude upward from the surface of the lid 410, so the inside of the protrusions 415 is one step lower than the protrusions 415. Furthermore, the outer dimensions of the body-side outer peripheral wall 421 of the dish body 420 are gradually reduced toward the bottom, and the outer diameter φb of the bottom end is slightly smaller than the inner diameter Lc of the protrusions 415 formed around the entire periphery of the lid 410. Therefore, when the dishes 400 are stacked vertically, the bottom of the dish body 420 can fit inside the protrusions 415 of the lid 410, preventing accidents such as a dish 400 slipping off due to vibration or other factors.

[0062] As described above, when an operator holds the dish 400 between his or her fingers to lift it or remove or attach the lid, the possibility of dropping or failing to lift the dish body 420 or the lid 410, which could result in dropping contents such as culture medium or treated eggs, can be reduced. This reduces the loss of work time and prevents or minimizes adverse effects on the survival of tissues, embryos, etc. being cultured.

[0063] I. Ninth embodiment: The ninth embodiment of the present disclosure is a rectangular dish 520 with multiple wells, as shown in FIG. 27 . This rectangular dish 520 is a substantially square dish, and is configured by combining a dish body 540 and a lid 530. FIG. 27 shows the state in which the lid 530 has been removed upward from the dish body 540. The rectangular dish 520 has one of its four chamfered corners, and is designed so that when the rectangular dish 520 is placed on a desk or the like, it has an asymmetrical shape in both the left-right direction and the direction perpendicular to this (front-to-back direction) in the plane. The normal use position is for the rectangular dish 520 to be placed with the chamfered portion facing the left of the user. In the following description, the up-down, left-right, and front-to-back directions are defined as follows: The height direction of the rectangular dish 520 is referred to as the Z direction, the left-to-right direction when the chamfered portion is facing the left is referred to as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the Z direction and the Y direction is referred to as the X direction.

[0064] The dish body 540 is made of synthetic resin and is integrally formed using a mold. The dish body 540 comprises a base portion 541 serving as a base, and a raised portion 543 formed on the base portion. The lid 530 comprises a flat portion 531 and an enclosing portion 533 of a predetermined height that surrounds the flat portion 531. The inner dimensions of the enclosing portion 533 are made slightly larger than the outer dimensions of the raised portion 543 of the dish body 540, and the lid 530 is molded to a size that accommodates the raised portion 543 inside and covers the base portion 541. A raised portion 532 is provided at the center of each side of the flat portion 531 of the lid 530. The raised portion 532 is provided for positioning the rectangular dishes 520 when stacked, for preventing the upper rectangular dish 520 from slipping off, or for slightly raising the flat portion 531 from the surface of the desk when the lid body 530 is turned upside down and placed on a desk or the like.

[0065] At the junction between the flat portion 531 and the surrounding portion 533 of the lid 530, the end of the flat portion 531 protrudes slightly from the outer surface of the surrounding portion 533, similar to the round dish 400 of the eighth embodiment. This protruding portion is called a protrusion 539. When a user holds the rectangular dish 520 or the lid 530 alone, the protrusion 539 engages with the user's fingertips, helping to ensure a secure grip when lifting the rectangular dish 520 or the lid 530 alone. A similar engaging portion 549 is also provided on the outer peripheral edge of the base portion 541 of the dish body 540, ensuring a secure grip when the operator lifts the rectangular dish 520 or the dish body 540 alone. The protrusion amount of the engaging portion 549 on the dish body 540 and the protrusion 539 on the lid 530 is preferably approximately 0.3 to 1.0 mm, and in this embodiment, it is 0.5 mm.

[0066] One of the four corners of the lid 530 has a chamfered portion 534 that is chamfered at approximately 45 degrees. This chamfered portion 534 corresponds to a chamfered portion 544 of a similarly formed bulky portion 543, and limits the position at which the lid 530 fits into the dish body 540.

[0067] Four circular wells 551, 552, 553, and 554 are spaced apart from one another and provided at the four corners of the bulky portion 543. A recess 555 is formed in the roughly cross-shaped area surrounded by the four wells 551 to 554. The depth of each of the wells 551 to 554 is greater than the depth of the recess 555. The synthetic resin forming the dish body 540 is transparent, but to improve visibility inside the wells 551 to 554, the flat top surface 547 of the bulky portion 543 is formed with fine irregularities to make it translucent. Although only a portion is hatched in the figure, the entire top surface 547 is frosted. Of course, the top surface 547 may be transparent. The recess 555 may be omitted. The number of wells may be two or more, and their arrangement may be arbitrary. Five or more wells may be provided.

[0068] As described above, one of the four corners of the bulky portion 543 of the dish body 540 is chamfered to form a chamfered portion 544. The chamfered portion 544 helps the user of this rectangular dish 520 to quickly and reliably recognize the orientation of the dish. As described above, the normal use position is when the chamfered portion 544 is at the bottom left.

[0069] A groove 560 is provided on the side of the dish body 540 opposite the chamfered portion 544, i.e., on the X-direction side of the bulk portion 543. This groove 560 is used to place a rod-shaped object, such as a freezing device, pipette, or tweezers, used when freezing treated eggs that have been fertilized in the rectangular dish 520. The bottom surface of the groove 560 is inclined at approximately 4 to 10 degrees. Therefore, when a rod-shaped object is placed there, the height of its tip can be made lower than the height of the base portion 541 and approximately the same as that of the wells 551 to 554. Therefore, for example, when working under a microscope, if the microscope is focused on the bottom of the well 551, the focus can be easily adjusted when the next step of the work, such as placing a frozen egg, is focused on the tip of the device for freezing. Since the groove 560 is inclined, the position of the tip in the height direction (Z direction) can be adjusted by moving a rod-shaped member such as a freezing device in the Y direction along the groove 560. This makes it possible to adjust the focus not only on the microscope side but also on the rectangular dish 520 side.

[0070] J. Other forms: (1) The embryo culture dish of the present disclosure can also be configured as follows. This embryo culture dish includes, in the bottom of the embryo culture dish, a plurality of wells arranged in a predetermined arrangement in a plan view, each capable of containing an embryo together with a culture medium; a first recess capable of holding the culture medium together with each of the wells, the first recess being arranged independently of the other first recesses of the plurality of wells; a communication section located lower than the surface of the bottom and connecting the well to the first recess arranged opposite the well; and a facilitating structure for facilitating the aspirating of the culture medium from the first recess. This allows a pipette or glass capillary to be brought close to the first recess connected to the plurality of wells, thereby facilitating operations such as refilling or replacing the culture medium or transferring an embryo. The facilitating structure allows operations on the plurality of wells to be performed in a short time. As a result, the time that the embryos are exposed to an environment different from the culture environment of the embryo culture device, such as the incubation room, can be shortened, and the chances of the embryos surviving can be increased. As a result, if this embryo culture dish is used in infertility treatment, it will have the effect of improving the treatment rate.

[0071] The shape of the embryo culture dish may be such that the maximum length in the first direction is greater than the maximum length in the second direction, or vice versa. This makes it easy to distinguish between the first and second directions, and allows the embryo culture dish to be quickly positioned and accurately arranged for work. Furthermore, since the length of the wells and first receptacles in the second direction is significantly different from the spacing between them when arranged in the first direction, if the maximum length in the first direction is greater than the maximum length in the second direction, the number of wells arranged in the first direction will increase, and it is likely that the distance the pipette tip must travel when repeatedly performing work from the second direction for the same number of wells and first recesses will be shorter.

[0072] The number of wells may be any number, but as explained in the embodiment, a two-dimensional array such as 3 x 6 is desirable. This allows a large number of wells to be arranged in the limited bottom area of ​​the dish while ensuring high workability. The array is not limited to 3 x 6 and can be freely set to 2 x 5, 4 x 5, or the like. Depending on the shape of the dish, the array may be one in which the number of wells and first recesses on both sides in the first direction is reduced, or the number of wells and first recesses in the center in the first direction is increased.

[0073] (2) In the above configuration, the facilitating structure may be a second recess provided in the bottom portion and capable of holding the culture medium, wherein for each of the plurality of wells, a second recess communicating with the well and provided independently of the other first and second recesses is located opposite the first recess across the communicating well. This structure allows access to the embryo culture dish from either direction, enabling refilling or aspirating of culture medium. In other words, both right-handed and left-handed people can access and work with the first or second recess connected to the well. Furthermore, the same work can be performed even if the embryo culture dish is rotated 180 degrees. The second recess does not necessarily have to be located opposite the first recess across the communicating well; it may be located side by side with the first recess, or it may be located at any angle relative to the first recess when viewed from the well.

[0074] (3) In the configurations (1) and (2) above, the facilitating structure may be a structure in which the bottom surface of the first recess is tapered to become gradually shallower toward the side opposite the well side, making it easier to insert a pipette or the like into the first recess and reducing the possibility of damaging the tip of the pipette.

[0075] (4) In the configurations (1) to (3) above, the embryo culture dish may have a maximum dimension in a first direction in a plan view that is greater than a maximum dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the facilitating structure may be such that the first recesses are spaced apart from each of the plurality of wells in the second direction, making it easier to approach a pipette or the like from the first direction.

[0076] (5) In the above configurations (1) to (4), the facilitating structure may be a structure in which an outer peripheral wall having a predetermined height is provided around the periphery of the bottom of the embryo culture dish, and the height of the outer peripheral wall at a position extending from the first recess in the second direction is lower than that of the other outer peripheral walls. In this way, the outer peripheral wall is less likely to get in the way when a pipette or the like is brought close to the first recess in the second direction.

[0077] (6) In each of the above configurations, the outer periphery may be provided with an outer peripheral wall having a polygonal periphery of 2 × N (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) sides, and a gripping support structure may be provided on the outside of the outer peripheral wall to assist the user's fingers in grasping the embryo culture dish. In this way, the outer shape of the embryo culture dish will be an even polygon, and there will always be opposing outer peripheral walls. This makes it easy to grip the opposing outer peripheral walls with the fingers. Furthermore, the gripping support structure can assist in grasping, reducing accidents such as dropping the embryo culture dish. Examples of gripping support structures include a structure in which a portion of the outer peripheral wall protrudes, or a structure in which part of the outer peripheral wall has increased friction. Examples of the latter include a structure in which part of the outer peripheral wall has increased roughness, or a structure in which a material with a high coefficient of friction, such as rubber, is coated or attached.

[0078] (7) In each of the above configurations, the embryo culture dish may have an outer peripheral wall of a predetermined height around the periphery of the bottom, and a protrusion formed on the outer upper end of the outer peripheral wall, the protrusion having a height of 0.1 to 1.0 mm from the surface of the outer peripheral wall. This allows the embryo culture dish to be held stably by the fingers, as the protrusion formed on the outer upper end of the outer peripheral wall can be caught by the fingers. Furthermore, the height of this protrusion is slight, so it does not get in the way of work.

[0079] (8) In each of the above configurations, a lid may be provided to cover the opening of the embryo culture dish, and a protrusion or ridge having a height of 0.1 to 1.0 mm may be formed on the outer edge of the lid. In this way, the protrusion or ridge formed on the outer edge of the lid can be caught by the fingers, allowing the lid of the embryo culture dish to be grasped stably. Furthermore, the height of this protrusion is slight, so it does not get in the way of work.

[0080] (9) In each of the above configurations, a movement inhibiting part may be provided that allows the culture medium to flow through the communication part and inhibits the movement of the embryo contained in the well. In this way, the movement inhibiting part is provided, so that the culture medium around the embryo can be sucked up while the embryo being cultured in the well remains in place within the well.

[0081] (10) In each of the above configurations, the migration-inhibiting portion may be provided in the communication portion and formed as a raised portion higher than the deepest portion of the well and the first recess. In this way, even if the culture medium in the first recess is completely sucked up with a pipette or the like, the height of the migration-inhibiting portion is higher than the deepest portion of the first recess, so the culture medium level in the well will not fall below this raised portion. Therefore, the culture medium in the well containing the cultured embryo will not be accidentally pumped out. The migration-inhibiting portion need only be able to prevent the embryo from moving out of the well; a raised portion is not necessary. In this case, it is possible to suck up most of the culture medium in the well, but if it is necessary to leave some of the culture medium around the embryo, the amount of culture medium suctioned can be adjusted. For example, an adapter may be provided on the tip of the pipette used to suck up the culture medium, separating it from the bottom of the recess by a predetermined distance. In this way, when the culture medium is sucked up with the pipette, a predetermined level of culture medium can be left above the bottom of the recess.

[0082] (11) In each of the above configurations, the communicating portion may be a passage that connects the well and the first recess, and the movement-inhibiting portion may be a gap that is provided in the passage and is narrower than the smallest diameter of the embryo contained in the well. This allows the culture medium to be easily sucked up while inhibiting the movement of the embryo.

[0083] (12) In each of the above configurations, a lid support member may be provided on the inside of the outer wall, which supports the lid covering the multiple wells and the first recess, leaving a gap between the lid and the bottom. This allows gas to circulate between the wells containing embryos and the outside, even when the embryo culture dish is covered with the lid. Therefore, when the embryo culture dish is returned to a culture chamber, the environment inside the well quickly becomes similar to the environment inside the culture chamber. The lid support member may be provided on the lid itself, or may be provided as a separate component. Furthermore, the lid itself may have holes or slits, for example, on its outer periphery, to ensure gas circulation.

[0084] (13) The present disclosure can also be implemented as another type of dish usable for embryo culture, comprising: a plurality of wells provided at the bottom of the embryo culture dish for accommodating an embryo together with a culture medium; first recesses capable of holding the culture medium together with each of the wells, the first recesses being arranged independently of the other first recesses of the plurality of wells; communication portions provided at a position lower than the surface of the bottom for communicating between the wells and the first recesses arranged relative to the wells; an outer peripheral wall provided around the periphery of the embryo culture dish; and protrusions provided on the outer upper end of the outer peripheral wall for assisting a user in grasping the embryo culture dish with their fingers.

[0085] These dishes have protrusions or ridges on the outer wall of the body, allowing users, such as embryologists, to hold the dish securely when using two fingers to lift it or place it on a microscope stage. Regardless of whether the dish is round or square, the protrusions around the entire periphery prevent or avoid users from slipping their fingers and dropping the dish, regardless of how they hold it. Furthermore, similar protrusions are provided on the outer wall of the lid, making it easy and secure to grip the lid when the dish is placed on a desk or microscope stage.

[0086] (14) In the configuration of (13) above, the protrusions or ridges may protrude from the outer wall surface of the outer peripheral wall by 0.1 to 1.0 mm. This allows the protrusions or ridges to be easily gripped by the user without interfering with the work.

[0087] (15) In the configurations (13) and (14) above, the outer peripheral wall may have a 2×N (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) polygonal shape. This allows the opposing portions of the outer peripheral wall to be held between two fingers, improving the ease of handling the dish.

[0088] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. For example, some of the configurations realized by hardware in the above-described embodiments can be realized by software. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10...embryo culture device, 11...culture unit, 17...cover, 18...gas port, 20...case body, 21...culture unit, 25...embryo, 26...general-purpose connector, 27...filter, 28...filter port, 43...supply port, 44...exhaust port, 51...camera module, 52...lens module, 60...control unit, 61...CPU, 62...ROM, 63...RAM, 64...memory interface, 65...memory card, 66...general-purpose I / O interface, 67...culture chamber interface, 68...camera interface, 70...display, 71...driver positioning device, 72... warning device, 73... mixture adjusting device, 84... mixture supply pipe, 91... display, 95... control device, 96... dial, 97... base portion, 100... dish, 110, 110B to 110F... dish body, 104... outer peripheral wall, 105... raised portion, 106, 106F... bottom portion, 111 to 114... lid support portion, 116 to 119... positioning protrusion, 120... lid, 124... outer peripheral portion, 131... first notch portion, 132... second notch portion, 133... third notch portion, 134... fourth notch portion, 141 to 148... small protrusions, 170... lighting unit 180...holding frame, 198...opening, 200, 200B to 200F...storage section, 210, 210B to 210F...well, 211, 211B to 211F...first recess, 212...second recess, 214, 214B, 214F...raised section, 215, 215B to 215F...bottom surface, 217, 217B to 217E...communicating section, 218...migration-inhibiting passage, 219...microwell, 241...liquid reservoir, 245...groove, 280...pipette, 300...dish, 310...dish body, 320...lid body, 321, 322, 325, 326...rib, 331, 332...edge , 335, 336...bent end portion, 341, 342...label attachment portion, 365, 366...ribs, 400...dish, 410...lid body, 411...lid body side outer peripheral wall, 415...protrusion, 420...dish body, 421...body side outer peripheral wall, 425...protrusion, 520...rectangular dish, 530...lid body, 531...flat portion, 532...raised portion, 533...surrounding portion, 534...chamfered portion, 539...protrusion, 540...dish body, 541...base portion, 543...bulge portion, 544...chamfered portion, 547...upper surface, 549...engagement portion, 551 to 554...well, 555...recess, 560...groove portion

Claims

1. An embryo culture dish, comprising: a plurality of wells arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction in a plan view on the bottom of the embryo culture dish, each well capable of containing an embryo together with a culture solution; a first recess capable of holding the culture solution together with each of the wells, the first recess being arranged independently of the other first recesses of the plurality of wells; a communication portion provided at a position lower than the surface of the bottom portion and communicating between the well and the first recess portion disposed relative to the well; a facilitating structure for facilitating the operation of aspirating the culture solution in the first recess; An embryo culture dish comprising:

2. 2. The embryo culture dish according to claim 1, wherein the facilitating structure is a second recess provided on the bottom capable of holding the culture medium, and for each of the plurality of wells, a second recess is provided that is connected to the well and is independent of the other first recesses and other second recesses, and is located opposite the first recess across the well with which it is connected.

3. 2. The embryo culture dish according to claim 1, wherein the facilitating structure is a tapered structure in which the bottom surface of the first recess is gradually shallower toward the side opposite to the well side.

4. In a plan view, the embryo culture dish has a maximum dimension in a first direction that is larger than a maximum dimension in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction; 2. The embryo culture dish according to claim 1, wherein the facilitating structure is a structure in which the first recess is arranged spaced apart from each of the plurality of wells in the second direction.

5. 5. The embryo culture dish according to claim 4, wherein the facilitating structure comprises an outer peripheral wall having a predetermined height around the periphery of the bottom of the embryo culture dish, and the height of the outer peripheral wall at a position extending from the first recess in the second direction is lower than that of the other outer peripheral walls.

6. 2. The embryo culture dish according to claim 1, The outer periphery has an outer wall with a 2×N (N is an integer of 2 or more) polygonal shape, The embryo culture dish is provided with a gripping assistance structure on the outside of the outer peripheral wall that assists the user in gripping the embryo culture dish with their fingers.

7. The embryo culture dish has an outer peripheral wall having a predetermined height on the outer periphery of the bottom, A protrusion or a ridge is formed on the outer side of the upper end of the outer peripheral wall as a gripping assist structure, The height of the protrusions or ridges is 0.1 to 1.0 mm from the wall surface of the outer peripheral wall. The embryo culture dish according to claim 6.

8. a lid for covering the opening of the embryo culture dish; A protrusion or ridge having a height of 0.1 to 1.0 mm is formed on the outer end of the lid. The embryo culture dish according to claim 6.

9. 9. An embryo culture dish as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a movement inhibiting portion that allows the culture medium to flow in the communicating portion and inhibits the movement of the embryo contained in the well.

10. 10. The embryo culture dish according to claim 9, wherein the migration-inhibiting portion is provided in the communication portion and is formed as a raised portion higher than the deepest portions of the well and the first recess.

11. the communication portion is a passage that communicates the well and the first recess, the movement-inhibiting portion is provided in the passage and is a gap narrower than the minimum diameter of the embryo contained in the well. The embryo culture dish according to claim 9.

12. 9. An embryo culture dish according to claim 5, further comprising a lid support portion on the inside of the outer wall that holds a lid covering the plurality of wells and the first recess, with a gap remaining between the lid and the bottom.

13. a plurality of wells provided at the bottom of the embryo culture dish, each well being capable of containing an embryo together with a culture solution; a first recess capable of holding the culture solution together with each of the wells, the first recess being arranged independently of the other first recesses of the plurality of wells; a communication portion provided at a position lower than the surface of the bottom portion and communicating between the well and the first recess portion disposed relative to the well; an outer peripheral wall provided on the outer periphery of the embryo culture dish; a protrusion or ridge provided on the outer side of the upper end of the outer wall to assist a user in grasping the embryo culture dish with their fingers; An embryo culture dish comprising:

14. 14. The embryo culture dish according to claim 13, wherein the height of the projections or ridges is 0.1 to 1.0 mm from the outer wall surface of the outer peripheral wall.

15. 15. The embryo culture dish according to claim 13, wherein the outer peripheral wall has a 2×N (N is an integer of 2 or more) polygonal shape.

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