Mammalian Embryo Culture in a Microfluidic Device

Over the last decade, the use of in vitro production of mammalian embryos and the utilization of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as non-surgical embryo transfer, cryopreservation, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), has increased. However, the efficiencies of ART remain low. Currently, millions of couples in the United States are affected by infertility and seek treatment. More than 16,000 babies in the United States, each year are born using ART such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), assisted hatching, and ICSI (1 ). A critical area for ART is culturing embryos and evaluating their morphology. There have been some advances made in embryo culture medium; however, the efficiency of embryo culture remains low. Additionally, embryo-handling techniques and tools for culture and evaluation have not changed for several years. The growth of miniaturization technologies toward miniature mechanical and fluidic systems has created opportunities for fresh examination of basic embryo physiology. There are many existing limitations in mammalian embryo-handling procedures that may be addressed with these new miniaturization technologies.