Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
MOBILE UNIT FOR ANIMAL OVARIAN TISSUE PROCESSING
TECHNICAL FIELD
The application relates generally to animal ovum retrieval and, more
particularly, to a
mobile unit suited for bovine ovum retrieval.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
The production of in vitro bovine embryos using transvaginally collected
oocytes
generally requires a large number of oocytes retrieval. The oocytes are then
prepared
for maturation and subsequently for fertilization. Typically, the animal is
transported to a
collection center to retrieve the oocytes from the animal. Subsequently, the
oocytes can
be sent to a laboratory for their processing. The transportation journey can
cause stress
to the animal, long absence of the animal from its environment and temperature
and
dietary changes to the animal. These direct impacts can cause economical
losses, such
as a loss of milk productivity during the absence of the animal.
There are also several factors that can affect the success of the in vitro
production of
embryos, such as the medium used to transport the oocytes to the fertilization
laboratory, the transportation time and the temperature changes of the medium.
Biosecurity is also a concern where the animal can be put in contact with
other animals
from different farms, whose vaccination and immune status may be different,
during the
retrieval process.
SUMMARY
In one aspect, there is provided a mobile unit for animal ovarian tissue
processing, the
mobile unit comprising: an enclosure supported on at least one wheeled
chassis; a
collecting chamber defined within the enclosure, the collecting chamber
comprising: a
restraint mounted to the enclosure and configured to restrain and hold an
animal in a
standing position; at least one access sized to provide the animal ingress to,
and
egress from, the collecting chamber; an ovum aspiration system disposed in the
collecting chamber to retrieve oocytes from the animal; and an imaging scanner
disposed in the collecting chamber to guide the ovum aspiration system to the
oocytes;
1
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
a processing chamber separate from the collecting chamber, the processing
chamber
including an incubator to incubate the oocytes; and a temperature control unit
operable
in at least a heating setting to maintain a temperature of the retrieved
oocytes between
a predetermined temperature range.
In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a mobile unit for animal
ovum pick
up, the mobile unit comprising: a wheeled chassis including an enclosure for
on-site
collection; the enclosure compartmentalized into at least a collecting chamber
and a
processing chamber; the collecting chamber having at least one access to
permit
ingress and egress of an animal and equipped with a restraint configured to
restrain
and hold the animal in a standing position within the collecting chamber, a
vacuum
pump disposed in the collecting chamber to retrieve oocytes from the animal,
an
imaging scanner disposed in the collecting chamber to guide a veterinarian
during the
oocyte aspiration procedure, and a system for adjusting a suction flow of the
vacuum
pump; the processing chamber equipped with an incubator to incubate the
oocytes
retrieved in the collecting chamber; and a temperature control unit operable
to maintain
a temperature of the retrieved oocytes between a predetermined temperature
range.
In accordance with a still further general aspect, there is provided a mobile
unit for
animal ovum pick up, the mobile unit comprising: a wheeled chassis including
an
enclosure defining a collecting chamber having at least one access to permit
ingress
and egress of an animal, the collecting chamber equipped with a restraint
configured to
restrain and hold the animal in a standing position within the collecting
chamber, an
ovum aspiration system disposed in the collecting chamber to retrieve oocytes
from the
animal, an imaging scanner disposed in the collecting chamber to guide the
ovum
aspiration system to the oocytes, a processing chamber equipped with an
incubator to
incubate the oocytes retrieved in the collecting chamber; and a temperature
control unit
operable to maintain a temperature of the retrieved oocytes between a
predetermined
temperature range.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is now made to the accompanying figures in which:
2
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a mobile unit for animal ovarian tissue
processing;
Fig. 2 is a schematic top cross-sectional view of an enclosure of the mobile
unit;
Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of a collecting chamber defined in the
enclosure;
Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of a processing chamber defined in the
enclosure;
Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of ventilator disposed in the collecting
chamber;
Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of the collecting chamber showing a
restraint;
Fig. 7 is a partial perspective view of the restraint;
Fig. 8 shows an animal restrained by the restraint of Fig. 6; and
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a platform to raise the animal within the
collecting
chamber.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Fig. 1 illustrates a mobile unit 10 for in situ animal ovarian tissue
processing. The
ovarian tissue processing includes transvaginally collecting oocytes from an
animal,
such as a bovine or a cow, and processing the oocytes in an incubator to
enable
fertilization of the oocytes outside of the body of the animal. In this
description, the term
"oocyte" can be used interchangeably, when appropriate, with other terms such
as
"ovum". In a particular embodiment, the mobile unit 10 is designed as a mobile
laboratory within which the oocytes from the animals can be collected and
first
interventions and/or time-sensitive procedures at the level of the oocytes can
be carried
out for their subsequent fertilization. For example, incubation of the oocytes
can include
time sensitive preparation procedures. The mobile unit 10 can enable the
tissue
processing interventions to be carried out at a habitat of the animal. The
term "habitat"
can also refer to a natural location of where the animal normally lives, such
as a farm.
The mobile unit 10 includes an enclosure 12 for retrieving the oocytes from
the animal
and processing the oocytes for incubation. The animal is received in a
collecting
chamber 14 and the oocytes are processed in a processing chamber 16. The
enclosure
3
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
12 is supported on a wheeled chassis 18 for facilitating the transportation of
the
chambers 14 and 16. In the embodiment shown, the enclosure 12 is shown as a
trailer
attached to a vehicle. In other embodiments, other suitable movable enclosures
can be
used, such as enclosures configured similar to "camper trailers" or "house
trailers". In a
particular embodiment, the mobile unit 10 is designed to travel on a roadway
network to
reach the habitat or a destination where the animal is housed. The roadway
network
can include highways and streets of a city and can thus impose restrictions on
a length
20 and width 22 of the mobile unit 10. In the embodiment shown, the enclosure
has a
width of 7 1/2 feet. In another embodiment, the width 22 of the enclosure is 8
feet. The
width 22 can be less than 7 % feet or any other suitable width and length to
comply with
local rules of the road and regulations. The enclosure 12 is enclosed by a
ceiling 24, a
floor 26 and sidewalls 28. These sidewalls 28 together with the ceiling 24 and
the floor
26 provide protection from the surrounding elements, such as wind, rain,
light, external
temperature and the like. In a particular embodiment, the sidewalls 28, the
ceiling 24
and the floor 26 are free from transparent or light-penetration sections to
assist in
providing a dark interior of the enclosure 12.
Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional top view of the mobile unit 10. The
enclosure 12
extends between a front end 30 and a rear end 32. In the embodiment shown, the
front
end 30 is formed by two adjacent corner walls 34 connected together at an
angle.
Movable stabilizers 36 can be mounted to the chassis 18 of the mobile unit 10
to
stabilize the chassis 18 relative to a ground surface. The ground surface can
be the
surface on which the mobile unit 10 is positioned. In operation, the movable
stabilizers
36 engage the ground to level the mobile unit 10 and/or reduce tilting the
mobile unit
10. The mobile unit 10 can tilt for example when the animal moves causing a
shift in
weight inside the mobile unit 10.
In the embodiment shown, the collecting and processing chambers 14, 16 are
supported on the same wheeled chassis 18. In a particular embodiment, the
collecting
chamber 14 is supported on a first wheeled chassis and the processing chamber
16 is
supported on a second wheeled chassis. The two wheeled chassis can be
connected
together in tandem or each chassis can be provided with its own motor vehicle.
The two
4
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
vehicles can then travel together to the habitats or the destinations of the
animals for
the in situ ovarian tissue processing.
The collecting chamber 14 is defined within the enclosure 12 and can extend
from the
rear end 32 to front end 30 of the enclosure 12. The collecting chamber 14 can
include
one or more doorways or accesses 38 to provide the animal ingress to and
egress from
the collecting chamber 14. In a particular embodiment, a hydraulic door 38A
(Fig. 1) is
mounted to the doorway or access 38 to control access of the animal into or
out from
the collecting chamber 14 by opening or closing the hydraulic door 38A. The
hydraulic
door 38a can be pivotable from a raised position closing access to the chamber
to a
lowered position in which the door 38a acts as a ramp to facilitate ingress
and egress.
Anti-slip features may be provided on the ramp. In the embodiment shown, a
rear
doorway or access is provided at the rear end 32 of the enclosure 12 and a
front
doorway or access is provided at the front end 30 of the enclosure 12. Each
access has
its respective door/ramp. The front doorway is defined in one of the corner
walls 34 at
an angle relative to a longitudinal axis 40 of the enclosure 12. This angular
position
provides a passageway exiting the collecting chamber 14 away from the motor
vehicle.
In use, the animal can enter the collecting chamber 14 from the rear doorway
and exit
the collecting chamber 14 from the front doorway.
The collecting chamber 14 is configured to receive the animal therein for the
retrieval of
the oocytes from the animal by a veterinarian or a qualified technician.
Referring to Fig.
3, according to a particular embodiment, an ovum aspiration system 42 is
disposed in
the collecting chamber 14 to retrieve the oocytes from the animal. The
aspiration
system 42 provides a regulated suction flow. The aspiration system 42 can have
a
suction needle connected to a pump through a pipe or a vacuum line. The
suction flow
can have a regulated vacuum up to -500 mmHg. In a particular embodiment, the
aspiration system 42 is a Cook Aspiration UnitTM from Cook MedicalTM. The flow
rate of
the aspiration flow can be adjusted by changing a relative height between a
section of
the pipe and the pump, skin friction resistance in the pipe, a temperature of
flushing
fluid and/or suction fluid and a length of the pipe. The suction flow rate of
the aspiration
system 42 can be controlled to a range between 10 and 20 millilitres per
minute of
suction fluid. In a particular embodiment, the suction flow rate is 15
millilitres per
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
minute. The retrieved oocytes can be collected in a test tube. A test tube
heater can be
provided to maintain an adequate temperature of the oocytes in the test tube
during
manipulations of the test tube, such as for example during transportation of
the oocytes
in the test tube from one location to another. An imaging scanner 44 can also
be
disposed in the collecting chamber 14 to guide the ovum aspiration system 42
to the
oocytes. The imaging scanner 44 can be an ultrasound scanner. The imaging
scanner
44 can be used to collect data related to the size, shape and location of the
follicles
containing the oocytes. A rail 46 can be mounted on the ceiling 24 to support
the
imaging scanner 44, or any other device, and to displace the imaging scanner
44 from
one side of the collecting chamber 14 to the other side of the chamber 14. The
rail 46
can facilitate the displacement of the imaging scanner 44 within the
collecting chamber
14 to adjust the location of the imaging scanner 44 depending if the
technician is left-
handed or right-handed. For example, if the technician is left-handed, e.g.
using the left
hand to collect the oocytes, the imaging scanner 44 can be moved to the right
side of
the technician.
According to the illustrated embodiment, the processing chamber 16 is defined
with the
enclosure 12. In the embodiment shown, the processing chamber 16 is contiguous
to
the collecting chamber 14. A dividing wall 48 extending between the processing
chamber 16 and the collecting chamber 14 isolates the processing chamber 16
from the
collecting chamber 14.
The processing chamber 16 is configured to allow the technician to process the
oocytes
and to conduct any time-sensitive interventions for the fertilization and/or
incubation of
the oocytes. Referring to Fig. 4, at least one incubator 50 is disposed in the
processing
chamber 16 to incubate the oocytes, for example, during stages of the
maturation that
are normally preceding the stages of the fertilization. The incubator 50 can
be designed
to maintain a temperature inside the incubator 50, where the oocytes are
received for
incubation, between 35 and 39 degrees Celsius. In a particular embodiment, the
temperature inside the incubator 50 is maintained at 38.5 degrees Celsius. The
incubator 50 can also be used to preheat fluids, e.g. the flushing fluid
and/or the suction
fluid.
6
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
The mobile unit 10 provides a controlled environment to minimize contaminating
the
oocytes during their manipulation and processing. For example, the chambers 14
and
16 can be sealed from each other to minimize exchange of gases between the two
chambers 14, 16. In operation, the collecting chamber 14 can contain a non-
negligible
amount of methane which can be released from the animal. During the collection
process of the oocytes, the animal can burp and release gases such as methane.
Other
harmful gases to the oocytes can also be present in the collecting chamber 14
particularly and/or surrounding the processing chamber 16 generally. These
gases can
affect the quality of the oocytes if they come into contact with the oocytes.
Consequently, the processing chamber 16 is sealed from the collecting chamber
14 to
reduce the transfer of gases from the collecting chamber 14 to the processing
chamber
16. The processing chamber 16 can also be sealed from its surrounding
environment.
The collecting chamber 14 can include a ventilator 52 (Fig. 5) defined through
the
ceiling 24 to expel foul air containing the methane from the collecting
chamber 14 to the
exterior of the enclosure. For example, the ventilator 52 can be a fan.
Referring back to Fig. 2, the mobile unit 10 includes a temperature control
unit 54 to
control the temperature of the retrieved oocytes. A sudden increase or
decrease of the
temperature of the oocytes can cause a thermal shock and consequently damage
or
decrease the quality of the oocytes. The temperature control unit 54 can
include the test
tube heater mentioned above. The temperature control unit 54 can also include
an air
heating and/or cooling unit to control the temperature inside the collecting
chamber 14,
the processing chamber 16 or both. The air temperature inside the chambers 14
and 16
can be controlled between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius. In a particular
embodiment, the
temperature control unit 54 control the air temperature inside the chambers 14
and 16
between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius. Each chamber 14 or 16 can include its own
independent temperature control unit.
The enclosure 12 can include an inter-chamber 56 between the collecting
chamber 14
and the processing chamber 16. The inter-chamber 56 provides an intermediate
space
between the collecting chamber 14 and the processing chamber 16. In a
particular
embodiment, the inter-chamber 56 has two doors 58. Each door 58 respectively
provides access from the inter-chamber 56 to a respective one of the chambers
14, 16.
7
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
For example, a technician going from the collecting chamber 14 to the
processing
chamber 16 can pass through the inter-chamber 56 while keeping one door 58
closed
at all time to reduce air contamination between the two chambers 14, 16. The
inter-
chamber 56 can also provide a cleaning facility to remove any contaminants or
dirt from
the technician and/or equipment before entering the processing chamber 16. Of
course,
a passage through the exterior of the enclosure 12 from the collecting chamber
14 to
the processing chamber 16 is within the scope of the present disclosure.
An access passage 60 can be provided between the collecting chamber 14 and the
processing chamber 16 to transfer the oocytes between the two chambers 14, 16.
The
access passage 60 can be any connection allowing communication between the two
chambers 14, 16 in an open position and insulating the two chambers 14, 16 in
a closed
position. Referring to Fig. 3, the access passage 60 is shown as a cleanroom
pass-
through or a transfer passage defined through the dividing wall 48 between two
openings. The access passage 60 is also known as "pass-through air locks" and
"transfer hatches". The pass-through has two opposite closable doors. Each
door is
disposed in one of the openings on an interior wall surface of a corresponding
chamber
14, 16. The pass-through can block the air or gas flow in-between the chambers
14 and
16 and can be designed to be completely airtight to minimize contamination
between
the chambers 14, 16.
Referring to Fig. 6, the mobile unit 10 includes a restraint 62 mounted to the
enclosure
12 within the collecting chamber 14. The restraint 62 is configured to hold
the animal in
a standing position. The term "restraint" is intended to include any device
useful to
control the animal from a short distance, such as a leash, harness, collar or
other
devices. In the embodiment shown, the restraint 62 includes a head confinement
64.
The head confinement 64 retains a head of the animal in a specific position
and/or
location. In a particular embodiment, the head confinement 64 includes
adjustable
neckbars 66 to hold the head of the animal between two adjacent neckbars 66.
The
neckbars 66 are displaceable to adjust to a width of a neck of the animal. The
restraint
62 can also include a frame 68 that defines a space 70 between an inner
surface 72 of
the sidewall of the enclosure 12 and a sidebar 74 or body to retain the body
of the
animal in the standing position between the inner surface and the sidebar 74.
8
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
Referring to Fig. 7, one or more cushions 76 or inflatable balloons can be
mounted on
the inner surface 72 of the sidewall 28 located within the frame 68 to space
the animal
away from the inner surface 72. In the embodiment shown, two cushions 76 are
mounted on ropes 78 and are thus movable within the space 70 defined by the
frame
68. In a particular embodiment, the sidebar 74 can be mounted onto a jack to
adjust the
position of the animal between the sidebar 74 and the cushions 76.
Referring to Fig. 8, the restraint 62 includes a harness 80 with a rope 82
that has an
adjustable length. The harness 80 can thus be carried away from the frame 68
to attach
the animal and to pull the animal into the collecting chamber 14. For example,
the
harness 80 can be used to pull the animal from a distance outside the
enclosure 12 into
the collecting chamber 14.
Referring to Fig. 9, a platform 84 elevated from a surface of the floor 26 of
the collecting
chamber 14 can be installed within the space 70 defined by the frame 68. The
elevation
of the platform 84 can be adjusted to raise the animal to a desired height
relative to the
floor surface.
The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the
art will
recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without
departing
from the scope of the invention disclosed. Still other modifications which
fall within the
scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art,
in light of a
review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within
the
appended claims.
9
CA 2976076 2017-08-09
