Customer Insights
This insights piece covers a recent customer case in which pH monitoring technology assisted in identifying issues in the lab.
Monitoring pH in an embryo culture system ensures culture system competence and identifies issues that can easily go unnoticed. This month, we would like to share with you how the real-life application of pH monitoring technology assisted a customer site and improved cell culture conditions in their incubator.
Customer Case Study:
A customer site received the TrakStation® pH Monitoring Technology on a demonstration basis to learn how pH monitoring can benefit their lab. For demo purposes, The TrakStation® and Trakpod were installed into a Heracell incubator that is currently not in use for clinical purposes.
During the lab’s demo, the embryology team started to experiment with real-time pH monitoring benefits. The embryology team increased the % CO2 settings for their incubator from 6% CO2 to 7% CO2 to observe the effects on their culture medium pH.
The Expected Result
There’s an inverse relationship between pH and CO2, in that as % CO2 increases the pH decreases and vice versa. We expect that an increase in % CO2 will cause a shift in the bicarbonate buffer system equilibrium, leading to an observable decrease in pH of the culture media.
Example Expected Effects of CO2 Changes on pH
The Observed Result
The embryology team observed no change in their pH levels after setting the new % CO2 values.
After the support team at BCSI quickly analyzed the collected pH data and determined proper TrakStation functionality, the embryology team investigated equipment functionality.
What Happened?
The lab checked the %CO2 value from the incubator in question using an electronic CO2 meter to and compared observed readings to the format incubator.
They soon learned that while their incubator had been set to 7% CO2 value, the true %CO2 within the incubator was at ~ 5%CO2. The lab calibrated the CO2 sensor within the incubator, and with further testing, observed the expected pH decrease.
Conclusions
The equipment you use in your lab has a direct effect on your culture media and understanding how the condition of your equipment affects pH is critical.
Monitoring pH allows the lab to truly understand how multiple factors in embryo culture affect true medium pH.
Susan Olds
Embryology Product Specialist
Blood Cell Storage, Inc.
Tel: +1.425.654.8462 (D)
Email: susan.olds@safesens.com
