A miniature embryo, cell and tissue growth monitoring time-lapse incubator (PEMI)

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel standalone portable precision incubator for use in the fields of therapeutic human assisted reproduction technology (ART). Conventional ART procedures often require removing embryo dishes from an incubator for microscopic inspection, exposing sensitive embryos to environmental insults on the embryo. To address this, there is provided an incubator that eliminates the potential harm of environmental insults on the embryo and thus prevents damage to the embryo and is anticipated to improve treatment outcome significantly, the incubator comprises three detachable components i.e. an imaging unit (10), an incubation chamber (20) and a thermostat unit (30). It provides uninterrupted climatic culture conditions for embryo growth. It transmits images and videos of the developing embryo to computers / laptops / mobile phones, enabling the assessment of embryo quality and facilitating selection of quality embryos for treatment of infertility.