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Embryology Training & Lab Management courses

At InterMedics, we offer Embryology Training and Lab Management courses, guided by Dr. James Catt. With over 25 years of experience as a clinical embryologist, Dr. Catt served as the Scientific Director at Sydney IVF and Monash IVF in Australia. Having conducted training at these esteemed institutes, he now brings his wealth of knowledge as an independent consultant. Join us to benefit from Dr. Catt's expertise and elevate your skills in embryology and lab management.

Key Feature

1
Introduction to Embryology
  • Course Objective: Gain a comprehensive understanding of embryology principles and acquire the skills to successfully manage a laboratory.
2
ICSI - Getting the Basics Right
  • Course Objective: Master the fundamentals of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) and embark on a journey towards competency in this crucial technique.
3
Vitrification and Laser Assisted Hatching
  • Course Objectives: Acquire practical knowledge in vitrification and laser-assisted hatching, ensuring competence for clinical application.
4
Quality Assurance & Quality Control
  • Course Objective: Take control of your IVF program by learning Quality Control and Quality Assurance methodology and applications.
5
TESE and Advanced ICSI
  • Course Objective: Explore advanced techniques for challenging cases. Learn the nuances of extracting sperm from testicular tissue and its proper use in difficult ICSI cases

Embryology

Introduction to Embryology

Morning Session

  • The basics
    • Oogenesis and ovulation
    • Spermiogenesis
  • Prerequisites for fertilization
    • Oocyte maturation
    • Sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction
  • Normal / IVF fertilisation
  • ICSI fertilisation
  • Abnormal fertilisation
  • Early cleavage
  • Embryonic development

Afternoon Session

    • Embryo culture - media, gas, dishes
    • Embryo handling - open, closed, devices
    • Cryopreservation - vital part of IVF
    • Expectations from an IVF clinic

ICSI - getting the basics right - Duration: 3 Days

ICSI is a technique that has been in use for the past 18 years and has become a mainstay of human IVF. ICSI is relatively straightforward when conducted properly but can be difficult when the apparatus is not set optimally. This 3 day course will take you through the principles of micromanipulation, outlining the differences between the micromanipulators and the optical systems used. The importance of good quality pipettes will be emphasised along with the critical areas of micro tool set-up and control of pressures. A series of exercises will be given to all participants to help them develop and maintain competency.

ICSI – DAY 1

Morning Session

Short series of lectures introducing ICSI and the critical points of micromanipulation Practical work will centre of setting up the relief contrast system (RCM) and the starting set up of Narishige manipulators (coarse motor drive and hydraulic fine manipulation). The correct set‐up and orientation of pipettes will be demonstrated along with protocols to ensure correct alignment and control.

Afternoon Session

  • Brief introduction to the methodology and exercises
    • Injection pipette set-up and sperm immobilization
    • Sperm aspiration and control
    • Oocyte alignment and movement
    • Sperm injection
  • Practice and sperm injection
  • Review, Q&A

ICSI – DAY 2

Morning Session

  • Introduction to oocyte and dish preparation. What is important?
    • Practical denuding of oocytes with hyaluronidase
    • Injection dish preparation. Control of conditions
  • Injection practice

Afternoon Session

  • Injection practice, under supervision
  • Review, Q and A

ICSI – DAY 3

Morning Session

  • Talk on outcome expectations. What to monitor?
  • Injection practice

Afternoon Session

  • Practical troubleshooting
    • Defining the symptoms
    • Applying the corrections.
    • A series of the most common problems along with the fixes will be demonstrated.
  • Injection practice
  • Review, summary Q and A

Vitrification & Laser-Assisted Hatching

Morning Session

  • Introduction
  • Principles of vitrification
    • choice of media
    • carriers and storage
  • Practical vitrification of embryos
  • Quality Assurance and Quality Control Overview(QAQC)

Afternoon Session

  • Introduction
  • Principles and methodology of assisted hatching
  • Practical assisted hatching using embryos

Quality assurance and Quality control

This is a part taught, worked example and practical demonstration course to lead you through the principles, logistics and practicalities of how a QA/QC programme should work to enable you to control, monitor and compare your programme

Morning Session

  • Talk on principles of QA/QC
  • Quality Control of IVF instrumentation and environment
    • Demonstration of monitoring equipment
    • Independent calibration of incubators, warm stages
  • Environment Control
    • Instrument quality records -design and use
    • Temperature and pH

Afternoon Session

  • Quality control of the IVF process
    • How good are we?
    • What are the best outcome measures?
    • Concept and practicalities of KPI (key performance indicators) and LPM (laboratory performance o measures) o Control charting for continual measurement and the use of CUSUM charts
    • Practical demonstration on how to plot and interpret them
  • Troubleshooting
    • Methodology and practical examples
  • Benchmarking
    • Intra and inter laboratory benchmarking
    • How good are we compared to others
  • Review, Q and A

TESE & advanced ICSI

Morning Session

  • Talk on principles and methodology
  • Practical session
  • Sperm recovery from tubules
    • milking
    • squashing
    • maceration
  • Tubule recovery
    • Open biopsy
    • Fine needle aspiration
  • Sperm preparation
    • red cell lysis
    • gradients
    • swim out
    • fall out

Afternoon Session

  • Introduction to advanced ICSI
    • 'Rescue' ICSI 4 hour and 14 hour
    • Practical session
  • Immotile sperm
  • Hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test
    • Pentoxifylline
  • Calcium activation
  • Globospermia
    • Previous failed to fertilise ICSI cycles
  • Immature oocytes
  • Postmature oocytes
  • Trouble shooting talk
  • Discussion on spindle view, IMSI and PICSI