Generate Life Sciences' Donor Sperm Bank, California Cryobank, Introduces Computer-assisted Sperm Analysis into its Manufacturing Protocols

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Generate Life Sciences today announced it is introducing computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) through the integration of Hamilton Thorne's IVOS II Clinical CASA system.

With this addition, California Cryobank — Generate's donor sperm bank — and its network of donor sperm laboratories across the United States will become the first to incorporate automation into the process of preparing donor sperm vials. This is a major industry advancement that promises to optimize specimen quality through an additional layer of accuracy and analytical precision on top of the usual quality assurance procedures, with the end result of greatly minimizing interlaboratory variation.

Interlaboratory variation in the calculation of sperm concentration and progressive motility is to be expected. However, it is a longstanding source of frustration for sperm banks, clinics and patients. Manual sperm analysis requires a technician to laboriously count the number of sperm per volume within a predetermined microscopic area to calculate sperm concentration. Even with the most well-trained technicians, this process is subject to high variability when left to the human eye.

The IVOS II system — customized specifically for sperm banking in partnership with Hamilton Thorne — is the result of decades of advancements in CASA systems that can now analyze sperm cell number, velocity, and motion pattern of thousands of concurrently and rapidly moving cells with remarkable accuracy. The automated computer-assisted system ensures precision in measurement and eliminates complete reliance on human subjectivity. The result is improved standardization and quality applied across multiple processing laboratories.

"Incorporating the IVOS II Clinical CASA systems throughout our processing facilities is the culmination of years of hard work to reduce inherent variability in sperm bank manufacturing," said Jaime Shamonki, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Generate and California Cryobank. "Our 2018 study confirmed that even minute laboratory differences in cell-counting devices produce significant variation in calculated sperm concentration and progressive motility assessment.

"Using this state-of-the-art CASA approach, we can eliminate human subjectivity and further optimize the quality of the donor sperm vials our clients rely on for their family building," continued Dr. Shamonki. "This is another example of how Generate leads the industry through scientific rigor and consistent investment in quality." 

The IVOS II Clinical CASA systems are currently being used in all of California Cryobank's processing laboratories. A study to compare California Cryobank's IVOS-analyzed samples to independent andrology clinic analysis is underway.

To access the factsheet, please visit https://www.generate.com/press-kit.

About Generate Life Sciences

Generate Life Sciences™ is a global life sciences company helping families setting out to grow and protect their future, through guidance anchored in scientific advancements and services ranging from preconception into adulthood. Our longstanding brands — which include CBR® (Cord Blood Registry®), Insception Lifebank, Cells for Life, Cell Care, California Cryobank™, Donor Egg Bank USA™, NW Cryobank™, ReadyGen™, Kitazato USA™, and Donor Application™ — are pioneering leaders that have helped nearly one million families through reproductive, newborn stem cell, genetic screening, medical device, and healthcare technology services. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Generate operates facilities spanning from the United States and Canada to Australia, alongside frozen donor gamete distribution to more than 40 countries. Generate is a portfolio company of GI Partners, a private investment firm based in San Francisco.

About Hamilton Thorne Ltd. (www.hamiltonthorne.ltd)

Hamilton Thorne is a leading global provider of precision instruments, consumables, software and services that reduce cost, increase productivity, improve results and enable breakthroughs in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), research, and cell biology markets. Hamilton Thorne markets its products and services under the Hamilton Thorne, Gynemed, Planer, IVFtech, Embryotech Laboratories, and Tek-Event brands, through its growing sales force and distributors worldwide. Hamilton Thorne's customer base consists of fertility clinics, university research centers, animal breeding facilities, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, and other commercial and academic research establishments.

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SOURCE Generate Life Sciences

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