The Cleveland Clinic IVF laboratory and associated research laboratories create a unique environment for clinical care and development of innovative technology to improve clinical outcomes.
State-of-the-Art Equipment
The IVF laboratory and research labs encompass approximately 4,000 square feet and contain state-of-the art equipment. The lab facility at Beachwood houses 20 incubators, 14 microscopes and four micromanipulation stations for oocyte injection, embryo/blastocyst biopsy and assisted hatching, as well as freezers.
Multiple image analysis, videography and fluorescence microscopy stations throughout the laboratory areas allow for detailed study of human oocytes,embryos and sperm. Morphometric study of human embryo development and correlation to cycle specific parameters using the IVF research database is another powerful research tool used by the lab to study parameters impacting IVF success.
Other equipment in the lab include a non-contact Octax laser for opening the embryonic zona, embryo biopsy and laser ablation of cells. Meotic spindles in living oocytes are visualized non-invasively using polarized light and the Oosight Imaging System. This amazing new tool has been instrumental in developing cryopreservation protocols for human eggs and assessing disturbances in meiotic spindle formation after warming.
The research laboratory is also equipped with a cell fusion device to enable nuclear transfer experiments and an ELISA plate reader for growth factor and hormone assays. The research laboratory has several active animal protocols and an on-site laboratory for surgical dissections.
Comprehensive Facilities and Locations
Cleveland Clinic is a mega-complex located at numerous sites. In addition to the comprehensive facilities at the Beachwood location, staff and researchers also have access to the network of services offered at the downtown Cleveland Clinic campus. Cleveland Clinic‘s Lerner Research Institute and its core laboratories comprise an integrated research community and are the hallmark of the Cleveland Clinic interdisciplinary approach to research.
Research Internships
Research internships for medical students as well as post-doctoral fellows are offered to qualified candidates on a competitive basis.
Please contact Nina Desai, PhD, HCLD for further information.
Join us on Facebook!
For women undergoing fertility treatments or their friends and family members, the Cleveland Clinic Fertility Group on Facebook is a great resource. Our goal: To foster discussion of issues associated with fertility/infertility and provide a supportive, informative page that serves as a resource for patient working through these issues.
