Abstract: Methods for determining a development potential for an embryo, for example an in vitro incubating human embryo, and apparatus for implementing such methods are described. In some examples a method comprises obtaining values for a plurality of morphokinetic characteristics relating to the development of an embryo during an observation period, for example characteristics relating to the temporal or morphological development of the embryo. A value for a continuous variable is determined by combining differences between the obtained values for these characteristics and corresponding reference values in a predefined manner. The reference values may, for example, be determined from values for the plurality of characteristics obtained for at least one reference embryo of known development potential. A development potential for the embryo is then established based on the determined value for the continuous variable.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and to a system for selecting embryos for in vitro fertilization based on observed cell kinetics and cell morphology. One embodiment of the invention relates to a method for determining embryo quality comprising monitoring the embryo for a time period, said time period comprising the transformation of the embryo from initial compaction or morula to blastocyst and determining one or more blastocyst quality criteria for said embryo, and based on said one or more blastocyst quality criteria determining the embryo quality.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and a method for determining quality criteria in order to select the most viable embryos after in vitro fertilization. The present invention may further be applied for iteratively adapting embryo quality criteria based on new knowledge, historical selection & fertilization data and cooperation between fertility clinics.