The Clinical Laboratory Technology Department of the Reproductive Medicine Center of the Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children (Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University), or CQHCWC, centering on assisted reproductive technology, is equipped with an in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory, a molecular biology laboratory, a cell genetics laboratory, an andrology laboratory, and a biochemistry laboratory. With an area totaling more than 2,000 square meters, the department carries out technical service projects related to assisted reproductive technology.

The IVF laboratory boasts advanced equipment such as OLYMPUS, NIKON, LEICA inverted microscopes and stereo microscopes, HAMILTON and MTG laser membrane breakers, NARISHIGE and EPPENDORF micromanipulators, full-automatic liquid preparation (medium preparation) instruments, and TIME-LAPSE incubators. It has created a whole-process information management and electronic verification system. Since 2020, it has led the country in adopting a TIME-LAPSE incubator for embryo culture, which is a closed culture system and can monitor the development of embryos in real time, provide more information for the selection of transferred embryos, provide a stable in vitro growth environment for embryos, and increase the potential for embryo development.

The molecular biology laboratory has set up three sets of standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratories with a total area of more than 1,000 sq m, which are used for molecular diagnosis of pathogens, molecular genetic detection and preimplantation genetic diagnosis, respectively. The laboratory is equipped with a variety of high-throughput sequencing platforms such as ION PROTON, MGISEQ-500 and MGISEQ-2000, as well as domestic first-class detection platforms including the ABI3500DX sequencing platform, ILLUMINA ISCN and HISCAN chip detection systems, and ABI7500 fluorescence quantitative PCR instruments, providing hardware guarantees for efficient and accurate molecular detection reports.

The annual testing sample size of the molecular biology laboratory exceeds 100,000, which covers the molecular detection of common pathogens, providing services for ordinary clinical patients with an accurate and rapid detection process. In addition, it features the molecular diagnosis technology of genetic diseases and rare diseases, and based on high-throughput sequencing, chromosome microarray chips, first-generation sequencing and so on, the genetic diseases are blocked by PGT technology, and a perfect system from diagnosis to prevention and treatment of genetic diseases has been developed by the laboratory.

The andrology laboratory is equipped with a full-automatic semen detection system, a full-automatic staining machine, a full-automatic sperm morphology analysis system, phase contrast microscopes, and other equipment.

The reproductive biochemistry immunology laboratory is equipped with a BD flow cell analyzer, a fully-automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer, a fully-automatic time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay analyzer, a full-automatic enzyme immunoassay instrument, a fully-automatic platelet aggregation analyzer, and other equipment.

The cell genetics laboratory is equipped with automatic equipment such as a chromosome scanning and analysis system, a chromosome harvester, chromosome drip film and a banding instrument, examining more than 20,000 samples every year.

Technical expertise

IVF laboratory: The IVF laboratory mainly uses experimental techniques related to assisted reproduction including routine IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technology, gamete (egg and sperm) freezing and recovery, embryo freezing and recovery, blastocyst culture, embryo transfer, blastocyst biopsy, embryo assisted hatching, egg assisted activation, ovarian tissue freezing, and more.

Molecular biology laboratory: The molecular biology laboratory mainly carries out noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), thalassemia prenatal genetic diagnosis, chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), chromosome microdeletion detection (15 loci), whole exome sequencing, preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) gene testing, various pathogen DNA/RNA testing, human papillomavirus (HPV) typing testing, and more.

Andrology laboratory: The main services of the andrology laboratory are semen routine testing, anti-sperm antibody mixed agglutination testing, sperm function testing, and seminal plasma biochemical testing, which can scientifically and accurately evaluate male fertility. It also offers sex hormone testing, anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) testing, Down syndrome screening, five immune antibody tests, immune reproductive function testing, platelet aggregation function testing, and TORCH testing, which provide a basis for clinical diagnosis of female infertility. The laboratory undertakes daily testing and training projects for primary-level andrology laboratories and is a reference laboratory construction project for andrology laboratories in the Sichuan-Chongqing region of the West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

Cell genetics laboratory: The cell genetics laboratory mainly carries out peripheral blood chromosome karyotype analysis and high-resolution chromosome karyotype analysis, amniotic fluid and villi karyotype analysis, and fluorescence in situ hybridization test (FISH) chromosome karyotype analysis, confirmed by examination that abnormal chromosome numbers and structural aberration are the most important basis for the diagnosis of chromosome diseases. Indications for peripheral blood chromosome examination mainly include: mental retardation, growth retardation and other congenital deformities; patients with primary amenorrhea and female infertility; patients with severe spermatogenic disorders and male infertility; patients with hermaphroditism; multiple abortions, stillborn women and their husbands; individuals with chromosomal abnormalities or congenital malformations in the family; children suspected of Down syndrome and their parents; and pregnant women over 35 years old.

Amniotic fluid, villi and other karyotype analysis and FISH technology are mainly used for prenatal diagnosis, which is one of the most effective ways to avoid birthing children with chromosomal abnormalities, and also an important part of the prevention of genetic diseases. Indications for the examination mainly include: one of the parents has a chromosomal aberration or chromosome balanced translocation; the couple have a normal karyotype but have given birth to a child with a chromosomal disease; the couple have a normal karyotype but have had repeated abortions and stillbirths for unknown reasons; pregnant women over 35 years old; and pregnant women at high risk of birth defects indicated by prenatal screening or imaging.

Experts of Clinical Laboratory Technology Department