94 results about "Embryo quality" patented technology

The invention provides a culture fluid exclusively used in cow in-vitro fertilization embryos. The culture fluid contains 109.0mM-110mM of NaCl, 2.9mM-3.1mM of KCl, 26.0mM-26.5mM of NaHCO3, 0.5mM-1.0mM of MgCl2.6H2O, 1.0mM-1.3mM of KH2PO3, 0.4mM of sodium pyruvate, 1.5 mM of glucose, 5mM of galacturonic calcium, 10v/v% fetal bovine serum, 1mM of L- glutamine, 2v/v% essential amino-acid, 1v/v% nonessential amino acid and 1mM-10mM of glutathione. The cow in-vitro fertilization embryos are placed into the culture fluid to carry out in-vitro cultivation, and results are shown to be obviously superior to those of a control group which is not added with GSH (glutathione), and therefore, developmental rate of blastula and embryo quality are improved, cost for producing embryos in vitro is lowered, experimental basis is provided for applying a cow IVF (in vitro fertilization) technology to practice, and a genetic breeding process can be greatly accelerated.

The invention concerns a system and method for determining embryo quality comprising monitoring the embryo for a time period, said time period having a length sufficient to comprise at least one cell division period and at least a part of an inter-division period, and determining the length of the at least one cell division period; and/or ii) determining the extent and/or spatial distribution of cellular or organelle movement during the cell division period; and/or iii) determining duration of an inter-division period; and/or iv) determining the extent and/or spatial distribution of cellular or organelle movement during the inter-division period thereby obtaining an embryo quality measure. Thus, the selection of optimal embryos to be implanted after in vitro fertilization (IVF) is facilitated based on the timing, duration, spatial distribution, and extent of observed cell divisions and associated cellular and organelle movement.

A method for determining embryo quality involving measuring soluble HLA-G levels present in the embryo culture medium at least 44-46 hours post-fertilization is provided. Culture media and in vitro fertilization programs employing same are also provided.

An embryo quality evaluation assistance system including an image pickup unit for picking up an image of the embryo, and a computer that communicates data with the embryo observing apparatus to assist quality evaluation of the embryo. The computer includes a time-series image storing unit that stores a time-series image picked up by the embryo observing apparatus, an embryo image extracting unit that extracts an embryo image from the time-series image, and an active site extracting unit that compares an embryo image based on a first time-series image with an embryo image based on a second time-series image picked up before or after a predetermined time from a pickup time of the first time-series image, and extracts as an active site a set of pixels when the difference between pixel values of corresponding pixels of the first and second time-series images is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

The invention provides a culture liquid for promoting ectogenesis of embryo vitrified by an open pulled straw (OPS) method after thawing. Frozen 2-cell embryo after thawing is cultured in the culture liquid containing 10<-9> mol/L of melatonin (MT), so that the blastula development rate of the embryo is improved and the number of the cells in the embryo is increased, thereby improving the embryo quality, and providing a beneficial reference for further developing the study of OPS cryopreservation of livestock embryos.

Systems and methods for generating a mask for automated assessment of embryo quality are disclosed herein. The method for generating a mask for automated assessment of embryo quality can include receiving an image, including a plurality of pixels, of a human embryo from an imaging system. A pixel can be selected and features of the selected pixel can be determined by generating a plurality of random boxes of random sizes and at random locations about the selected pixel. The selected pixel can be identified as one of: inside of a mask area; and outside of the mask area based on the determined features.

Method for analyzing a sample comprising at least one ovum or embryo, the method being based on digital holographic imaging, the method comprising the following steps: creating at least one object beam and at least one reference beam of light, where said at least one object beam and said at least one reference beam are mutually coherent; exposing said sample to said at least one object beam; superimposing said at least one object beam that has passed through said sample with said at least one reference beam and thereby creating an interference pattern; detecting said interference pattern, called hologram; reconstructing phase and/or amplitude information of object wavefront from said interference pattern; and constructing at least one ovum or embryo analysis image and determining at least one ovum or embryo quality showing parameter from said phase and/or amplitude information.

The invention discloses a method for analyzing embryo quality based on molecular immunoassay of mammalian blastulas. The expressions of key transcription factors OCT4 (octamer-binding transcription factor 4) and CDX2 (caudal-related homeodomain transcription 2) respectively expressing in inner cell masses and trophectoderm cells are used as the basis for analysis of the mammalian blastulas, and cellular level and molecular level analyses are carried out based on the immunostaining results of OCT4 and CDX2, so that the conventional blastula quality assessment method is covered, and the lineage differentiation with higher accuracy is proposed to conduct assessment; the blastulas with a proper ratio of the number of the inner cell masses to the number of the trophectoderm cells and complete first lineage differentiation are used as quality blastulas. Compared with the conventional blastula quality assessment method, the method disclosed by the invention not only can assess the blastula quality at a cellular level, but also can accurately assess the blastula quality and subsequent development potential at a molecular level, and the method is simple and high in accuracy and can provide technical support for embryonic implantation.

The invention relates to an immature oocyte in vitro maturation promoting culture medium and application thereof. The immature oocyte in vitro maturation promoting culture medium is screened out through research on effects of different additives on immature oocytes and prepared by adding 20-100 mu M of BAPTA-AM in normal oocyte in vitro maturation culture solution. The immature oocyte in vitro maturation promoting culture medium is safe and free to side and toxic effects, enables meiosis of the immature oocytes, particularly those in level 3 cumulus-oocyte complexes, improves the in vitro development of the oocytes, promotes maturation, improves the cleavage rate and the blastula development rate after the mature oocytes are parthenogenetically-activated and further improves embryo quality. Application of the immature oocyte in vitro maturation promoting culture medium provides favorable support for the technology of in vitro propagation of animal embryos.

The present invention provides a method of predicting the probability of a successful pregnancy, either a naturally achieved pregnancy or a pregnancy resulting from an assisted reproductive technology, based on the level of L-selectin ligand expressed by uterine epithelial cells and/or the level of L-selectin expressed by an embryo in vitro. The invention further provides methods of inhibiting cell adhesion between a trophoblast and a uterine epithelial cell. Methods of inhibiting cell adhesion between a trophoblast and a uterine epithelial cell are useful to inhibit pregnancy. The invention further provides methods of assessing in vitro embryo quality. The invention further provides methods of predicting the probability of continued success of a pregnancy during the first 16 weeks of gestation.

A method of classifying plant embryos according to their quality based on a general form of Lorenz-Bayes classifier is disclosed. First, image or spectral data of plant embryos of known quality are acquired, and the data are divided into two classes according to the embryos' known quality. Second, metrics are calculated from the acquired image or spectral data in each class. Third, multi-dimensional histograms of multiple metrics are prepared for both classes. Fourth, the difference or some other measure of comparison between the two multi-dimensional histograms is obtained. Fifth, image or spectral data of a plant embryo of unknown quality are obtained and metrics are calculated therefrom. Sixth, the embryo of unknown quality is assigned to a class based on its calculated metrics and the result of the comparison as calculated in the fourth step above.

The invention discloses an embryo quality comprehensive evaluation device based on deep learning. The device comprises a computer memory, a computer processor and a computer program which is stored inthe computer memory and can be executed on the computer processor, an embryo quality comprehensive evaluation model is stored in the computer memory, and when the computer processor executes the computer program, the following steps are realized: receiving an embryo image; identifying and segmenting a regional image of the cleavage ball through a cleavage ball target detection module; using the cell counting module to count cells in the regional image, and obtaining the development stage of the cleavage ball; using the embryo quality analysis module to score the development condition of the cleavage ball in the regional image; and in the prediction module, scoring the implantation possibility of the cleavage ball according to the regional image, and obtaining a prediction result of the implantation success rate of the cleavage ball by integrating the scores of the development conditions. The prediction result can assist a doctor in predicting the success rate of embryo implantation.

The invention relates to the technical field of embryo quality evaluation, and discloses an embryo noninvasive evaluation method and device, and the method comprises the following steps: obtaining a plurality of frames of development pictures of embryo continuous development, and extracting detail parameters of embryo development according to the development pictures; obtaining chromosome state parameters of chromosome examination before embryo implantation; performing correlation statistical operation on the detail parameters and the chromosome state parameters to obtain a correlation model of the node parameters and the chromosome state parameters; and evaluating embryonic development according to the association model. Embryo quality evaluation can be rapidly carried out, embryo in-vitro development time is shortened, and the influence of embryo evaluation on embryo development is avoided.

The invention relates to an embryo culture device, which comprises a culture tank, wherein the culture tank is provided with a cover; the culture tank and the cover are in threaded matching; air vents are formed in a covering screw thread of the culture tank; a carrier holding platform is arranged in the culture tank; the carrier holding platform is higher than the air vents; a carrier is arranged on the carrier holding platform; the bracket is of a hollowed porous structure which comprises a porous plate; and a convex ring is arranged on the porous plate. With the application of the device disclosed by the invention, the number of carbon dioxide incubators required by a test-tube baby laboratory can be remarkably reduced, so that the space of the laboratory can be greatly diminished and the consumption amounts of carbon dioxide and nitrogen can be greatly reduced; and the safety, stability and embryo quality of human embryo culture in vitro as well as the safety of the laboratory can be improved.

The invention relates to a reagent and method for increasing the sperm movement speed. The reagent is prepared from progesterone, N6-Monobutyryladenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate and Calcium Ionophore A23187, wherein the concentration ratio of progesterone to N6-Monobutyryladenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate to Calcium Ionophore A23187 is (10-100 microgram/ml):(1-10mM):(1-10mM). The method includes the steps that a sperm culture solution is laid flat on a liquefied semen sample, and after 0.8-1.2 h of upward swimming, liquid at the uppermost end is extracted to obtain capacitated sperms; then, a sterile straw is filled with a sperm culture solution, the reagent is added into the top, the sterile straw is inserted into the upper portion of the capacitated sperms, and after 0.8-1.2 h of upward swimming, liquid at the upper end is collected. By means of the method, the sperm movement speed can be greatly increased, and a theoretical basis is provided for increasing the in-vitro fertilization rate or improving the embryo quality.

The invention discloses a screening method of different metabolites for evaluating goat transgenic cloned embryo quality based on a gas chromatography-mass spectrum combined technique and morphology. The screening method comprises the following steps that 1, reconstructed embryos are cultured for 48 hours, the cleavage rate is checked, cleaved embryos are divided into a high-quality cleaved embryo group and a low-quality cleaved embryo group according to the morphology, the embryo groups are randomly put into blastocyst culture droplets for continuous culture; 2, the blastocyst rate statistics is performed at 7.5 d, and blastocysts and embryo metabolites of the high-quality cleaved embryo group and the low-quality cleaved embryo group are respectively collected; 3, the collected embryo metabolite samples are processed, and gas chromatography-mass spectrum detection is performed; 4, detection results are subjected to statistic analysis. The screening method is integrated with morphological evaluation of the embryos to find metabolism markers closely correlated with the goat transgenic cloned embryo quality, provides a reference for research on prediction of embryonic developmental potential and facilitates screening of high-quality transplanted embryos and improvement of transgenic cloning efficiency.

The present invention relates generally to the fields of reproductive medicine. More specifically, the present invention relates to in vitro non-invasive methods for determining the quality of an embryo by determining the level of the cell free nucleic acids or miR-29a or let7-b in the nucleic acid extract from a follicular fluid sample.