Development and validation of an automated robotic system for preparation of embryo culture dishes.

Objective: To study the development and clinical validation of the ART Pipetting Robot for the IVF Laboratory (APRIL), a liquid-handling robot customized for the precise preparation of microdroplet culture dishes in the field of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Design: A prospective randomized study conducted at an academic IVF center comparing mouse and human embryo outcomes and quantitative measures of accuracy in embryo dishes prepared using APRIL compared with standard manual preparation.

Setting: Academic IVF center.

Early detection of cryostorage tank failure using a weight-based monitoring system.

Purpose: To study the relationship between liquid nitrogen loss and temperature in cryostorage dewars and develop an early-warning alarm for impending tank failure.

Methods: Cryostorage dewars were placed on custom-engineered scales, and weight and temperature data were continuously monitored in the setting of slow, medium, and fast rate-loss of LN to simulate three scenarios of tank failure.

Results: LN Tank weights and temperatures were continuously monitored and recorded, with a calculated alarm trigger set at 10% weight loss and temperature of - 185 °C.

A high-resolution molecular-based panel of assays for identification and characterization of human embryonic stem cell lines.

Meticulous characterization of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) is critical to their eventual use in cell-based therapies, particularly in view of the diverse methods for derivation and maintenance of these cell lines. However, characterization methods are generally not standardized and many currently used assays are subjective, making dependable and direct comparison of cell lines difficult. In order to address this problem, we selected 10 molecular-based high-resolution assays as components of a panel for characterization of hESC.

Increased efficiency of preimplantation genetic diagnosis for infertility using "no result rescue".

Objective: To improve preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) accuracy by using "no result rescue" (NRR) consisting of the reanalysis of dubious results with additional probes binding to a locus different from the one previously analyzed.

Design: Prospective study of PGD cycles with and without reanalysis of inconclusive results.

Setting: PGD laboratory.

Improved implantation after preimplantation genetic diagnosis of aneuploidy.

The objective of this study was to assess the improvement in implantation rates after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of numerical abnormalities for the sole indication of advanced maternal age when compared with a control group. Each PGD patient was matched to a control patient according to several parameters prior to obtaining pregnancy results. The diagnosis was based on the analysis of chromosomes X, Y, 13, 15, 16, 18, 21 and 22 plus a ninth probe (1, 7, 14 or 17) on a single cell per embryo.