Culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11873471-B2
Application number	US-202318105370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2023
Priority date	May 6, 2022
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

A culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer is provided. The culture dish combination includes a first culture dish and a second culture dish, the first culture dish includes a first dish cavity for thawing and laser-assisted hatching of frozen embryos, and an opening of the first dish cavity is upward. The second culture dish is detachably connected to the first culture dish, and the second culture dish includes a second dish cavity for balancing culture medium before the embryo transfer; the second culture dish further includes a third dish cavity surrounding the second dish cavity, and openings of the second dish cavity and the third dish cavity are upward. The culture dish combination solves problems of complex operations of thawing the frozen embryo, laser-assisted hatching and the embryo transfer, which increases the accuracy of the operation of embryo thawing and improves the stability of the incubator environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer, comprising:
a first culture dish ( 1 ), comprising a first dish cavity ( 10 ) for thawing and laser-assisted hatching of a frozen embryo, and an opening of the first dish cavity ( 10 ) being upward; and
a second culture dish ( 2 ), detachably connected to the first culture dish ( 1 ), wherein the second culture dish ( 2 ) comprises a second dish cavity ( 20 ) for balancing culture medium before the embryo transfer and a third dish cavity ( 22 ) surrounding the second dish cavity ( 20 ), and openings of the second dish cavity ( 20 ) and the third dish cavity ( 22 ) are upward;
wherein the first culture dish ( 1 ) further comprises a first dish bottom ( 14 ) and a first annular wall ( 13 ) surrounding the first dish bottom ( 14 ), and the first dish bottom ( 14 ) is surrounded by the first annular wall ( 13 ) to define the first dish cavity ( 10 ); and an outer surface of the first annular wall ( 13 ) is provided with a convex portion ( 12 ) which protrudes outward along a direction perpendicular to an upward direction;
wherein the second culture dish ( 2 ) further comprises:
a second dish bottom ( 26 );
a second annular wall ( 24 ), disposed on the second dish bottom ( 26 );
a third annular wall ( 23 ), surrounding the second annular wall ( 24 ); and
an annular stepped portion ( 25 ), fixed on an inner wall of the second annular wall ( 24 ) facing away from the third annular wall ( 23 );

wherein the annular stepped portion ( 25 ) comprises a fourth annular wall and a fifth annular wall, and the fourth annular wall is directly connected between the inner wall of the second annular wall ( 24 ) and the fifth annular wall; the third annular wall ( 23 ), the second annular wall ( 24 ) and the fifth annular wall are disposed on the second dish bottom ( 26 ) and arranged sequentially inwards from an outer edge of the second dish bottom ( 26 ), and heights of the third annular wall ( 23 ), the second annular wall ( 24 ) and the fifth annular wall gradually decrease; the second dish bottom ( 26 ) is surrounded by the second annular wall ( 24 ) to define the second dish cavity ( 20 ), the second dish bottom ( 26 ) is surrounded by the third annular wall ( 23 ) and the second annular wall ( 24 ) to define the third dish cavity ( 22 ) surrounding the second dish cavity ( 20 ) for maintaining humidity of the second dish cavity and washing residual oil droplets before the embryo transfer by adding embryo culture medium, and the second dish bottom ( 26 ) is surrounded by the fifth annular wall to define a central dish cavity ( 21 ) in the second dish cavity ( 20 ) for embryo aggregation.

2. The culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer according to claim 1 , wherein the first dish cavity ( 10 ), the second dish cavity ( 20 ) and the third dish cavity ( 22 ) are all circular cavities, and a diameter of the first dish cavity ( 10 ) is smaller than a diameter of the third dish cavity ( 22 ).

3. The culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer according to claim 1 , wherein the first dish bottom ( 14 ) is provided with recessed portions ( 11 ), and the recessed portions ( 11 ) are configured to accommodate embryo culture medium droplets formed by dropwise addition.

4. The culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer according to claim 3 , wherein each of the recessed portions ( 11 ) is a circular groove to facilitate forming the embryo culture medium droplets.

5. The culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer according to claim 4 , wherein the first dish bottom ( 14 ) is provided with four of the recessed portions ( 11 ), three of the recessed portions ( 11 ) are located in a first row, and a remaining one of the recessed portions ( 11 ) is located in a second row and aligned with the recessed portion ( 11 ) in a middle of the first row to define a T-shaped layout.

6. The culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer according to claim 1 , wherein the first culture dish ( 1 ) and the second culture dish ( 2 ) are connected by a connecting piece ( 3 ), an end of the connecting piece ( 3 ) is fixed with the first culture dish ( 1 ), the other end of the connecting piece ( 3 ) is fixed with the second culture dish ( 2 ), and the connecting piece ( 3 ) is withdrawable.

7. The culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer according to claim 6 , wherein the connecting piece ( 3 ) is a flat plastic sheet, and the first culture dish ( 1 ) is removed and discarded from the second culture dish ( 2 ) by tearing the connecting piece ( 3 ).

8. A culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer, comprising: a first culture dish ( 1 ), a connecting piece ( 3 ), and a second culture dish ( 2 ); the connecting piece ( 3 ) is connected between the first culture dish ( 1 ) and the second culture dish ( 2 ), and the first culture dish ( 1 ) is removable from the second culture dish ( 2 ) by tearing the connecting piece ( 3 );
wherein the first culture dish ( 1 ) comprises a convex portion ( 12 ), a first annular wall ( 13 ), and a first dish bottom ( 14 ); the convex portion ( 12 ) is arranged on a side of the first annular wall ( 13 ) facing away from the second culture ( 2 ) and protrudes outward along a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the first annular wall ( 13 ), and the first dish bottom ( 14 ) is surrounded by a bottom of the first annular wall ( 13 ) to define a first dish cavity ( 10 ) for thawing and laser-assisted hatching of a frozen embryo; and
wherein the second culture dish ( 2 ) comprises a third annular wall ( 23 ), a second annular wall ( 24 ), an annular stepped portion ( 25 ), and a second dish bottom ( 26 ); the third annular wall ( 23 ), the second annular wall ( 24 ), and the annular stepped portion ( 25 ) are sequentially arranged on the second dish bottom ( 26 ) from outside to inside in that order; the second dish bottom ( 26 ) is surrounded by a bottom of the third annular wall ( 23 ) to define a third dish cavity ( 22 ) between the third annular wall ( 23 ) and the second annular wall ( 24 ) for maintaining humidity of the second dish cavity and washing residual oil droplets before the embryo transfer by adding embryo culture medium, and the second dish bottom ( 26 ) is surrounded by a bottom of the second annular wall ( 24 ) to define a second dish cavity ( 20 ) for balancing culture medium before the embryo transfer;
wherein the annular stepped portion ( 25 ) comprises a fourth annular wall and a fifth annular wall disposed on the second dish bottom ( 26 ), the fourth annular wall is directly connected between an inner wall of the second annular wall ( 24 ) facing away from the third annular wall ( 23 ) and the fifth annular wall, the second dish bottom ( 26 ) is surrounded by the fifth annular wall to define a central dish cavity ( 21 ) in the second dish cavity ( 20 ) for embryo aggregation.

9. The culture dish combination for embryo thawing and embryo transfer according to claim 8 , wherein the connecting piece ( 3 ) is a flat plastic sheet which is withdrawable.

Assignees

• Univ Zhejiang

Inventors

• Rao Jin-Peng
• Tian Shen
• Feng Chun
• Qiu Feng
• Wang Xiao-Yun
• Jin Fan
• Jin Min

Classifications

• C12M23/34

  Internal compartments or partitions · CPC title

• C12M23/10 Primary

  Petri dish (crystallising dishes B01L3/06) · CPC title

• C12M23/22

  Transparent or translucent parts (glassware for laboratory use B01L3/00) · CPC title

• C12M23/38

  Caps; Covers; Plugs; Pouring means · CPC title

• C12M21/06 Primary

  for in vitro fertilization · CPC title