The document outlines the key considerations for setting up an ART lab, including location, equipment, consumables, procedures, and quality control. The lab must be in a safe, pathogen-free environment with stable temperature and air quality. Critical equipment includes incubators, laminar flow hoods, micromanipulators, medical refrigerators, and liquid nitrogen tanks. Consumables must be established brands and not expired. Procedures must be documented and strictly followed. Quality control such as temperature monitoring is crucial.

1. SETTING UP OF
ART LAB
DR.RENUKADEVI
SENIOR EMBRYOLOGIST
ARC INTERNATION FERTILITY AND RESEARCH CENTER

2. MAJOR KEY AREAS
 PLACE AND REQUIREMENTS
 Location
 Design
 Equipments
 Consumables & Media
 THE PEOPLES (EMBRYOLOGISTS & GYAENECOLOGIST)
 THE PROTOCOLS OR PROCEDURES
 Procedures and protocols
 Quality control

3.  Location
 Safe
 Nontoxic
 Stable
 Pathogen free environment
 Good air quality
 Design of the laboratory
 Extremely Crucial
 Structural design
 Environmental design.
 Eliminate (VOC’s) and chemical air
 Ventilation air conditioning system (HVAC)
 Air handling unit

4. EQUIPMENTS
INCUBATORS
 Gas phases are 5% or 6% co2
 Triple gas that consists of 6% co2, 5% o2 and 89% n2
 Maintain temperatures at 37°c
 The pH of the bicarbonate buffered culture medium
 Pre-equilibration of culture medium,
 Sperm incubation, oocyte and embryo culture
ANALYZER
 Temperature and gas analyzer
LAMINAR FLOW HOODS WORK ENVIRONMENT
 Handling oocytes and embryos
 Maintain temperatures at 37°c

6.  MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEMS
 Free from other laboratory activities
 Mounted on a vibration free platform.
 Inverted microscope
 Micromanipulator arms,
 Microinjector
 Equipped with 4x, 10x, and 20x objectives with a heated stage
 Arms are capable of three dimensional movements.

8.  MEDICAL REFRIGERATOR
 Crucial for storage of culture medium
 Temperature of the refrigerator is should charted
 TEST TUBE WARMERS
 Maintaining the temperature of follicular aspirates
 Sperm handling
 SUCTION PUMPS
 Follicular fluid aspiration
 CENTRIFUGE
 Prepare Sperm For IUI,IVF
 Intracytoplasmic Spermatozoa Injection (ICSI)

10.  LIQUID NITROGEN TANKS
 Storage of cryopreserved gametes
 Embryos
 Semen/sperm
 Fitted alarm if low level of liquid nitrogen levels
 SELECTION & MAINTENANCE
 Highest quality and reliability
 Safe to use
 Regular servicing is mandatory
 Spare and backup equipment
 Crucial equipment should be on UPS

11. CONSUMABLES
 Should Be Established Brands
 Safe For Culture
 Plastic ware such as test tubes, petri dishes, graduated pipettes, four-
well culture dishes, embryo transfer catheters, glassware such as
injection needles and holders for ICSI, embryo transfer catheters and
oocyte aspiration needles are disposable and for single use only.
 Only powder free gloves should be used
 Expiration dates should be clearly stated.
 Sperm survival test can be used to test

13. CULTURE MEDIUM
 High Quality Culture Media
 Properly Registered Media
 Certification Of Ph, Osmolarity, Endotoxin Level Testing
 Mouse Embryo Assay (MEA) And Sperm Survival Test
 Packaged Properly To Maintain

15. THE PEOPLES (EMBRYOLOGISTS &
GYAENECOLOGIST)
 Important Asset To Consider Would Be The Embryologist
 Laboratory should be directed by a qualified experienced,
and responsible person with expertise in the field of embryology
 Good background in reproductive biology
 Able to counsel patients and maintain close links with the
medical staff
 Hands-on experience in all facets of clinical embryology

16.  Responsible for routine checks on equipment, consumables and
environmental conditions
 Embryologists should be given opportunities to increase their knowledge
and competence through attending conferences, workshops, and
continuing educational programs
 There should be adequate number of staff to do all the procedures.

17. THE PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS
 Laboratory should have a manual detailing all the procedures
 The procedures should include sperm assessment and
preparation for
 ICSI or IVF insemination
 oocyte retrieval &oocyte culture
 IVF Insemination, ICSI, fertilization check,
 embryo culture, preparation of embryo culture dishes,
 embryo selection, embryo transfer, cryopreservation of gametes and embryos etc.

18.  The name and an additional identifier such as an identity
number should be used
 There should be strict adherence to the SOP
 Double witnessing is extremely important when performing
IVF procedures
 When witnessing, both individuals should document the
various steps during which the witnessing was done on to the
patients record book.

19. QUALITY CONTROL
 Incubator temperature and CO2 levels are measured daily
 pH meter probes are used to check the pH of the equilibrating
culture medium in the incubator
 Level of CO2 gas in the tanks is also noted on a daily basis
 The temperature of the heated stages of microscopes should be
checked and recorded

20.  The laboratory must be cleaned daily.
 Alcohol should not be used for cleaning while oocytes and
embryos are being handled
 Waste such as seminal fluid, follicular fluid etc. should be
removed as soon as the procedure is completed
 There should be maintenance schedule for all the crucial
equipment
 Incubators which are the most important equipment in the
laboratory should be serviced twice a year

21.  Microscopes, laminar flow cabinets, medical refrigerators, hot
air sterilizing oven, centrifuge and oocyte suction pump should
be done once a year
 Temperature thermocouple, pH meter and Co2 analyzer should
be recalibrated every year