Incubators
High performing incubators are critical for the success of an IVF lab. Reliability and consistency are absolutely necessary.
My current favorite incubators are made by Thermo-Fisher scientific. We utilize Thermo 3140 and Hera-cell incubators, both made by Thermo. They are extremely reliable and consistent.
If you are considering purchasing a used Thermo, be careful. The 3110 is thermocouple based CO2 only. The 3120 is IR temp, CO2 only. The 3130 is TC tri-gas, and only the 3140 is infrared sensor and tri-gas. As a result, used 3140s are hard to come by, whereas 3110 units are a dime a dozen.
Another line of incubators we have used are the Galaxy incubators from RS Biotech. These are actually made by New Brunswick Scientific and have some nice features, though have some reliability issues. They do have a high-heat decon feature, which the Hera-cell line also has. The decon feature is nice, as it heats up the incubator to 200 degrees to kill any germs.
One other advantage of the Galaxy line is no internal components. They do not have a fan or other moving parts. This also reduces contamination and particle production.
Unfortunately, New Brunswick designed these with sub-par oxygen sensors that go out every 7 months at a cost of $300 each. In addition, their pH stability is not as tight as the Thermos. They do produce consistent pregnancies, but they have more work to do on their build quality.
There are a number of Asian manufacturers that are breaking into the US market that hold quite a bit of promise. Hopefully I will be able to acquire some of these units and test them. Updates will follow.
Micromanipulation Systems
For micromanipulation, there are really only two systems to consider, Narishige and the new system from Research Instruments.
Narishige
This is the workhorse of IVF. It is a tried and true system used in labs all over the world. It is consistent and works great. We use it and are very happy with it. The downside to it is that it occupies quite a bit of space and has more moving parts that can go bad and need replacement.
Integra Ti
This is the new kid on the block. Research Instruments makes high quality equipment and the Integra Ti is no different. It is a compact unit that has the manipulation system built into the stage. People who use it speak very highly of it and are extremely pleased with it.
In retrospect, I would have preferred to get the Integra Ti, but our lab director was more familiar with the Narishige.
Do keep in mind that your ICSI set-up will probably be the most expensive purchase for your IVF lab. Budget at least $70,000 for this. It is very hard to find used manipulation systems. You will need an inverted microscope, such as an Olympus IX-70 or IX-71. Used microscopes are available from time to time, but are not that much cheaper than new. Given the fact that this is an extremely critical piece of equipment, I would say to spend your money on this and look to save dollars elsewhere.
Hoods
This is a piece of equipment with which I have mixed feelings. We purchased a K-systems 126 dual seat unit and it is an excellent unit. It has the Alu-heat system, thus negating the need for a noisy water-based warming system. In addition, it provides for additional HEPA filtration in the lab.
Though, I have been to other labs that do not have nearly as nice of a hood as we do and they do just fine. There are companies out there that make hoods with HEPA filtration and other companies that make warmed stages.
It is really a matter of how much money do you want to spend. Some of this is dependent on whether you are going to be doing your egg retrievals with a pass-through window or with an Isolette in the retrieval room.
For a start up, a nice hood with a pass-through is probably a good option. If you have building constraints and a pass-through is not an option, I would go with a lower priced hood and buy a good isolette.
Isolettes
Midatlantic Diagnostics makes an excellent isolette, which is basically a mini-incubator where the embryologist ID's the eggs. These are convenient and reduce the amount of time the egg is out of a physiologic environment. These units are actually converted NICU incubators that have had a gas supply added, as well as a CO2 sensor.
K-Systems has also made their version of an Isolette, called the L323. It is a nice unit that will also allow one to have a low oxygen environment. The K-systems unit is also bigger and has the Alu-heat system which is a nice feature.
Both units function very well and accomplish the goal. The are priced relatively similarly. I do like the K-systems unit, but its major downside is that it is some what large and not suited for a small IVF lab. If you have plenty of space and large door openings (greater than 36 inches,) I would opt for the K-systems unit, otherwise the Midatlantic Product will work just fine at a slightly lower cost.