polarAIDE™
Automatic assessment of oocyte quality and beyond
OCTAX polarAIDE™ is the next generation integrated polarization microscopy system
based on OCTAX ICSI Guard™ technology*.
Take advantage of OCTAX´s modular high end technology for evaluating your oocytes:
OCTAX polarAIDETM is available as stand-alone system, as an upgrade to OCTAX ICSI GuardTM or as an
add-on to OCTAX Laser ShotTM systems.
All functions are handled by one easy-to-use software: OCTAX EyeWareTM is the unique platform for the
control of all OCTAX products: laser, polarization microscopy, image processing, data storage and
motorized stage.
Main features:
Quantification of the birefringence of the zona pellucida
Automatic scoring of the developmental potential of oocytes in seconds
Orientation-independent live imaging of the meiotic spindle
Simultaneous view of oocyte morphology and spindle
Self-calibrating, no active calibration required
One button instant on/off function for convenient use
Spindle imaging under normal light intensity (bright field)
Full OCTAX Laser ShotTM and Fertilase® compatibility, i.e. one camera, one software and one
database for laser control, spindle visualization and image processing
Support of all OCTAX EyeWareTM features (image acquisition and archival, video and time lapse
video recording, biometric measurements etc.)
Screenshots
Metaphase II oocyte, polarAIDETM in bright field optics.
Metaphase II oocyte, polarAIDETM active, combined
mode using red/green processed image. Red area
indicates high birefringence.
System Components:
Circular polarizer and GIF filter
Liquid crystal analysis slider
High resolution OCTAX USB 2.0 digital camera
OCTAX polarAIDETM software
Metaphase II oocyte, polarAIDETM acitve, scoring
mode. Pink area indicates high birefringence. Colorcoded numerical score for oocyte quality is displayed
automatically.
polarAIDETM is currently available for:
Nikon TE2000, TE200/300, Diaphot 200/300
Olympus IX 50/70 and IX 51/71
Zeiss Axiovert 200, 135, 100
Leica DMIRB, DMI 4000, DMI 6000
other microscopes on request
For operating polarAIDE™, oocytes have to be placed in glass bottom dishes instead of plastic dishes.
A heated stage is mandatory to maintain optimum temperature. PolarAIDE™ supports high resolution
live video display (1280x1024 pixel) on selected computer hardware.
*) Patents pending
polarAIDE™
Uncover the oocyte´s secrets at a glance!
Automatic assessment of oocyte quality
Automatic scoring of the developmental potential of oocytes is based on quantitative analysis of the
birefringence properties of the inner layer of the zona pellucida. Scoring was validated in a prospective
study by Montag et al. (2006). This fast and user-independent analysis at the oocyte stage may also be
performed in countries with strict embryo protection laws.
Transfer of embryos derived from oocytes with high birefringence of the zona pellucida resulted in
significantly higher pregnancy rates compared to embryos with a low birefringence at the oocyte stage
(Montag et al., 2006; Shen et al., 2005). The study of Montag et al. demonstrated that analyzing zona
birefringence to identify the best zygotes resulted in significantly increased pregnancy rates as compared
to conventional pronuclear scoring.
Automatic scoring of metaphase II oocytes by polarAIDETM. Zona is detected automatically by the measurement tool (green circles). Automatic analysis of birefringence properties of the zona
pellucida is performed at 180 points. Pink area indicates high birefringence. Validated score (color-coded and numerical) indicating oocyte quality is displayed automatically.
Left: oocyte with high quality score; right: oocyte with low quality score.
Oocyte maturity evaluation
Evaluate oocyte maturity after in vitro maturation, in low
responder patients or before polar body biopsy and optimize
the timing of ICSI or polar body biopsy. Only by using
polarization microscopy, different meiotic stages can be
clearly identified. PolarAIDETM reveals to be telophase I what
appeared to be metaphase II under brightfield optics (lower
image). Performing ICSI on such oocytes is likely to result in
abnormal fertilization. Polar body biopsy could even be lethal.
Quality control
The spindle is extremely sensitive to temperature and pH
changes and will immediately indicate suboptimal culture
conditions. High proportions of oocytes displaying spindles
demonstrate optimal temperature and pH conditions in the
dish placed on the microscope stage. Get the direct feedback
from your oocytes!
Montag M., Schimming T., Gassner P., van der Ven H. (2006)
Oocyte zona birefringence intensity is associated with embryonic implantation potential.
Hum. Reprod. 21(Suppl. 1):i67.
Ordering information: MTG Medical Technology Vertriebs-GmbH, Opalstrasse 32, 84032 Altdorf, Germany
Phone +49 (0) 871 975 19-0, Fax +49 (0) 871 975 19-70, [email protected]
OCTAX ICSI GuardTM and polarAIDETM are currently not available in the U.S.A.