Cell Extraction Automation in Single Cell Surgery using the Aspiration Method

Biological cell micromanipulation is the precise in-vitro study and handling of individual cells, where small errors can be disastrous. An important example is embryo biopsy, in which a blastomere is extracted from a cleavage-stage embryo for genetic profiling, without damaging the embryo and affecting its viability. Today, the success rates of manually performed biopsies are relatively low due to human errors, leading to excessive embryo damage and prolong surgery times. In this paper, the automation of the extraction of a blastomeres from an early-stage embryo using the aspiration method and image feedback is presented. Computer-controlled micromanipulators combined with computer vision algorithms are used for automated extraction of a predefined number of cells, and detecting the extraction event. Preliminary proof of concept experiments to extract a single cell from a 2-cell cleavage-stage embryos obtained success rates ranging from 80 − 95% for different extraction stages, providing a set of tools for moving towards a fully automated single-cell surgery procedures.