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With our new and redesigned Embryology lab, we have found a room for improvement and successfully implemented the latest technological standards. If you feel interested, just scroll the page down.
The Embryology lab shares communication windows with two Manipulation rooms. One of the rooms is reserved for follicular punctures and the other one – for embryo transfers.
The access to the Embryology lab is granted only to the staff that works there (embryologists, biologists and cleansing professionals). There is no possible way to enter the unit accidentally or without guidance, even for a doctor.
Before entering the Embryology lab or any adjacent room, every staff member changes shoes and puts on sterile clothes, medical gloves and a cap. Special antiseptic glue covers that one steps on before entering the Embryology lab, additionally protect the unit from any possible microorganism invasion, as some microorganisms can live on a shoe sole.
Cleanliness’ requirements set for the Embryology lab are top-notch: a dedicated branch of supply and exhaust ventilation system, equipped with special 11th-grade air cleaning filters, keeps the air in the Embryology lab completely free of any possible pollution, including microparticles, allergens, bacteria, mold and toxins. The air inside the Embryology lab is totally renewed 18 times a day. A special CODA AERO kit that works inside the unit cleans the environment additionally.
The idea behind our round Embryology lab was to build a room with the maximum level of cleanliness in mind. The absence of corners and joints in the walls, as well as our decision to use glass - a material with very few pores compared to the other materials suitable for building walls – help to avoid the accumulation of unfavorable flora. We are able to completely rinse away any mold and bacteria. Moreover, there is no need to use wall antiseptics, which have a potential to affect the process of embryo cultivation in an undesirable way.
Our laminar flow IVF workstations made by K-Systems and Fortuna ensure top-level protection of biomaterial and provide advanced usability to our specialists. The workstations are equipped with the RI Witness system, built-in stereo microscopes and 5 sensors that control temperature conditions, allowing our embryologists the safety and precision during the work process.
We have successfully implemented the RI Witness system: our risk of a mistake due to the human factor is currently equivalent to zero! The system includes RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification), special ID cards for all patients and scanners that are built-in into the IVF workstations and into the reception desk at the lobby of the clinic. Scanners are also set before the entrances to the Manipulation rooms. If the RI Witness system finds a mismatch in the chain of identification, a sound and light alarm informs the embryologists about the mistake, blocking the work of the Lab until the problem is fixed.
Time-Lapse system allows us to watch the cultivation process without altering it even in a slightest way. The system consists of a modern incubator made by ESCO that is equipped with cameras located over each of the Petri dishes used for embryos’ cultivation. The cameras make shots of the process that are afterwards combined into videos. The videos help embryologists to evaluate the current stage of embryogenesis and to select an embryo for a transfer or for a trophectoderm biopsy with even higher efficiency, and without removing the dish from the incubator.
In our Embryology lab, we use an inverted, research class Olympus IX 73 microscope combined with Integra 3 and Narishigie laser system, that is required to work with cells and embryos and evaluate the quality of their development. The microscope’s table temperature is controlled by a dedicated device. These complex technological means allow us to efficiently perform such difficult procedures as ICSI, hatching and trophectoderm biopsy of blastocysts using Saturn 5 Active laser, making our IVF work processes highly productive.
In our Embryology lab, we use the most modern single-step culture media which allow us not to switch between media during the cultivation process. It helps to diminish the risk of a mistake even further and produces no change in the cultivation conditions, as there is no need for any removal of the biomaterial from the initial media
Liquid Nitrogen is vital to cryopreservation and storage of biomaterial: eggs, sperm and embryos. In the same time, there are not a lot of well-trusted suppliers around. Sometimes, an IVF clinic can encounter troubles cooperating with them, too. All in all, we have decided to become completely independent from any Nitrogen suppliers, unlike the other IVF clinics of Saint Petersburg. We have built our own pipeline of Nitrogen. At NGC, we have a powerful Nitrogen generator that produces 60 L. of liquid Nitrogen per day and accumulates it in a 180 L. tank using a vacuum tube. This tank fuels our Dewar vessels, which contain all the biomaterial that we store. With this implementation that we are proud of, we have a closed-circuit system that meets absolutely all of our needs.
Liquid nitrogen is necessary for cryopreservation and storage of patient biomaterial - oocytes, sperm and embryos. There are not many suppliers. Sometimes, when working with them, certain problems arise. We decided not to depend on anyone, like most clinics in St. Petersburg, and to make a completely autonomous system for supplying liquid nitrogen. NGC has acquired a British-made liquid nitrogen generator that produces 60 liters of nitrogen per day. Through a vacuum tube, nitrogen enters the second storage, designed for 180 liters. This storage feeds the Dewars that contain the biomaterial. Thus, we have a closed system and we provide ourselves with everything necessary for the operation of our cryobank.
The laboratory of andrology and embryology is connected by an elevator for moving biomaterial. When preparing semen, it must be centrifuged and the subsequent movement from one room to another must be smooth and prevent agitation and mixing of the layers.
We use Labotect incubators for embryo cultivation: a solution that combines both innovation and time-proven reliability. Labotect incubators ensure the most correct gas proportions and quick parameters restoration inside of the chambers.
