Time-lapse imaging: Incubation and annotation (v1.0)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The evaluation of human embryo incubation and annotation using time-lapse imaging

• IRAS ID

  155032

• Contact name

  Stephen Troup

• Contact email

  Stephen.troup@lwh.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  3 years, 0 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  This proposal concerns a series of research experiments investigating the time-lapse imaging in the form of the Embryoscope. The Embryoscope is a CE marked, commercially available time-lapse incubation system that is used in the embryology laboratory of the Hewitt Fertility Centre as standard for all patients seeking treatment. The study will consist of a number of investigations all regarding the optimal use of the EmbryoScope, a piece of equipment used in IVF units across the UK and the world. The study is limited to working with images of patient embryos, spent culture media and data. Informed consent will be taken for all experiments except those involving retrospective data collection and analysis (stages 1, 2, 5) or those which use no patient information or material (stage 4).

  The research consists of seven basic questions:
  1. Current published embryo scoring algorithms developed using time-lapse imaging are not sufficiently reliable
  2. Complex patient and environment specific embryo scoring algorithms can be developed to increase the chance of a successful treatment
  3. The osmolality and pH of unused culture media in standard embryo incubation is sub-optimal when compared to the EmbryoScope
  4. EmbryoScope incubation is superior to standard incubation for human embryo development and treatment outcome
  5. Various types of commercially available embryo culture media have an effect on the timings of embryo development
  6. Embryos with a poor morphology have differing osmolality and pH levels in spent culture media when compared to embryos of a higher quality
  7. Differing patient characteristics effect the osmolality and pH of spent culture media

• REC name

  North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  14/NW/1043

• Date of REC Opinion

  4 Jul 2014

• REC opinion

  Unfavourable Opinion