Intravaginal Culture Container With Buffer Chamber for 5-Day Incubation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intravaginal culture containers for fertilization and embryo development are limited by small volume, requiring high laboratory skills, and restrict incubation to 3-days, which affects fertilization rates and pregnancy outcomes.
Innovation Solution
An improved IVC container with a single chamber design, increased volume, and a CO2-permeable structure that maintains optimal nutrient and gas conditions for up to 5-day incubation, using a buffer chamber to regulate CO2 levels and prevent contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a small volume container is used for intravaginal culture, then the container can be easily placed in the vaginal cavity, but the number of oocytes that can be cultured is limited and the incubation period is restricted to 3 days
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into two functional chambers: a culture chamber for holding oocytes and culture medium, and a buffer chamber for storing additional culture medium and regulating CO2 levels. This segmentation allows the container to provide both extended incubation volume and controlled atmospheric conditions, resolving the contradiction between small size and extended incubation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer chamber is pre-filled with culture medium before the container is placed in the vaginal cavity. This preliminary preparation ensures that sufficient culture medium and CO2 are already available to support extended incubation up to 5 days, eliminating the need for external intervention during the incubation period.
2Shape
If a microchamber design is used, then the container structure is compact, but the volume is limited and cannot support extended incubation beyond 3 days
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into two functional chambers: a culture chamber for holding oocytes and culture medium, and a buffer chamber for storing additional culture medium and regulating CO2 levels. This segmentation allows the container to provide both extended incubation volume and controlled atmospheric conditions, resolving the contradiction between small size and extended incubation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer chamber is designed to nest within the overall container structure, with the culture chamber positioned centrally and the buffer chamber surrounding it. This nested arrangement maximizes the use of internal space, allowing the container to provide extended incubation volume without significantly increasing the external dimensions.
3Measurement precision
If traditional IVF laboratory procedures are used, then embryos can be inspected under a microscope, but high laboratory skill is required and embryos must be transferred from the container to a Petri dish
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent sidewalls of the container act as an intermediary that allows direct optical observation of embryos through the container wall using a microscope. This eliminates the need to transfer embryos to a Petri dish for inspection, as the container itself becomes the observation interface, reducing contamination risk and procedural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The container sidewalls are made of transparent material with specific optical properties that allow light transmission for microscopic observation. This optical design enables clear visualization of embryos through the container wall, maintaining inspection accuracy while simplifying the overall procedure.
4Reliability
If the container is designed for sterility maintenance, then contamination is prevented, but the valve design becomes bulky and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The complex valve mechanism is completely removed from the design. Instead, the container uses a simple snap-fit lid with an integrated gasket that provides hermetic sealing when closed. This extraction of the valve component maintains sterility through simple mechanical sealing rather than complex active control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed as a single-use disposable device with integrated sealing features. The snap-fit lid with gasket provides reliable sterility maintenance for the duration of the procedure, and the entire container is discarded after use, eliminating the need for complex reusable valve mechanisms that would require cleaning and sterilization.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances fertilization rates, blastocyst quality, clinical pregnancy rates, and live birth rates by providing a stable environment for extended incubation, comparable to in vitro fertilization techniques.
Implementation Method 1
a CO2-permeable structure that maintains optimal nutrient and gas conditions
Implementation Method 2
The container body is equipped with various valve designs which are either bulky or of complex construction
Implementation Method 3
using a buffer chamber to regulate CO2 levels and prevent contamination
Data Source
AI summary
Intravaginal culture (IVC) container for intravaginal fertilization and culture of mammalian, and in particular human, oocytes, featuring an increased volume, and a method of using the same.