Assessing embryo quality with digital holographic microscopy

A low-powered, non-invasive digital holographic microscopic imaging technique for embryo quality assessment is presented. Two groups of 2 cell-stage embryos cultured in media of different lipid concentrations have been characterized with digital holographic microscopy for lipid aggregation. The study suggests refractive index measurements are reflective of the lipid and dry mass content in embryos thus making DHM a prospective label-free diagnostic tool for quality assessments in assisted reproduction.