Trivector Biomed LLP –

Technology Perspective

Empowering IVF in
India since 1993!
Being a pioneering company in the field of Assisted Reproduction, Trivector has
many firsts to its credit. Besides being the first company to establish IVF labs in
India, Trivector also launched India’s first Fertility Training School (2005) and first
International Sperm Bank (2008). Since last 25 years we have been helping IVF labs
in quality control and maintenance of equipment, says Dilip Patil, Managing Partner,
Trivector Biomed LLP, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

Q
With over two decades of
experience in the IVF sector,
kindly throw some light on this
technology. How have you contributed
to this field?
IVF, popularly known as test tube baby,
was at its nascent stage when Trivector
was launched in 1993. There were less
than 10 IVF centers then. We started
providing all the services and products
under one roof. We started IVF
training school in India for the first
time. We did it in collaboration with
Copenhagen University of Denmark
for first couple of years.
Many clinicians used to travel to
Germany, Singapore, and Denmark
and other countries abroad for getting
trained on IVF techniques. We
brought those specialists from Europe
to India to train Indian doctors and
embryologists. The Indian trainees
started getting same level of training
here in India. Hundreds of participants
have been trained so far in Trivector
Fertility School.
We realised a need to have quality
sperm banking services in India and
launched India’s first international
sperm bank (Baby Quest Cryobank)
in 2008. It has been supplying quality
sperm samples to clinics and patients
all over India as per their requirements.
Trivector was the first company
which started providing readymade
culture media, CO2 Incubators,
Air filtration towers, Controlled
rate freezers, IVF workstations,
Micromanipulators, Lasers for Assisted
Hatching, Polscope etc. along with
technical support to the new and
established IVF clinics all across India.
We made all the latest technologies
immediately available for the Indian
IVF community as they were launched
elsewhere in the world.
Dilip Patil
Time-lapse incubation, which has
Managing Partner, Trivector Biomed LLP
gained currency recently, was launched
first by us as in 2012. This special the lab equipment. We calibrate and
incubator allows embryos to be video- validate the performance of critical
graphed and monitored continuously. equipment and provide preventive
Experts keep a tab of how the embryos maintenance services.
are growing without having their It was a turning point in
physical presence in the labs. Growth Trivector’s journey when we joined
of embryos can be monitored remotely hands with one of our Danish
and appropriate decision can be taken. principals in 2012 as JV partner
Trivector has helped set-up and subsequently parted our ways
hundreds IVF labs in India. We have in 2015 to explore new challenges
been consulting the labs on quality and reinvent ourselves exclusively
control and troubleshooting. We under our own Trivector brand. In
are helping them in measuring and addition to Human IVF, we decided
monitoring the parameters which are to diversify into Hospital Acquired
important e.g. CO2 gas concentration, Infection control, Veterinary IVF and
pH of the media, and temperature of specialized Andrology products.

14 December 2018 [ ehealth.eletsonline.com ] The Largest Portal on Healthcare Innovations in Asia and the Middle East
Q
What technologies have been
recently launched by you to
improve clinical treatment in
IVF segment?
In tune with our philosophy of offering
new products to add value to improve
IVF outcome, we have recently
launched a few innovative products.
Novaerus Air Sterilisers: To grow
healthy embryos in the lab which
could lead to healthy babies, the air
quality and the culture environment
in the lab is of utmost importance.
Microbial contamination, particulates,
volatile organic compounds (VOC),
and chemical air contaminants
(CAC) are the culprits which are
detrimental for embryo quality and
treatment outcome.
VOCs, CACs and particulates
need to be removed and surfaces
need to be disinfected by sterilization.
We have launched the most effective
solution by way of a standalone Air
Sterilizer which combines HEPA and
Activated Carbon filtration with path-
breaking Plasma technology. This is
the most effective and sustainable
solution, (which is clinically tested by
independent agencies like NASA) for
the highest air quality which leads to
better pregnancy rates and protect the
IVF staff at the same time.
EmbryoSafe Disinfectants: We
have also launched EmbryoSafe
range of VOC free disinfectants for
workbenches, surfaces, Incubators
and floors which is based on
Hypochlorous Acid which naturally
occurs in the body as part of defence
mechanism. These disinfectants
work within five seconds and need
no rinsing with sterile water. These
products are MEA tested and CE
marked.
EmbryoShield Gas line filter: We have
also introduced a solution to improve
the poor quality of gases entering
into the culture Incubators from the
cylinders. EmbryoShield, is a MEA
tested unique inline gas filter with 0.1
micron HEPA/ULPA and activated
carbon filtration.
Connect with us on
Approximately
one in six couples
faces the problem
of infertility. That
translates to a
couple of million
couples who may
need advanced
infertility treatment
in India. Even with
more than 1,000 IVF
centres across India,
the number of ART
cycles performed
annually is not more
than 2,00,000
Zymot Microfluidic based Sperm
Selection Chips: Infertility attributed
to Male factor is as rampant as Female
factor. For Infertility treatment
procedures, the sperm needs to be
purified or washed to remove the
debris and dead cells. To do so, the
sperm are subjected to pipetting,
mixing and vigorous centrifugation in
the lab. These mechanical processes
induce a reactive oxidative stress
(ROS) and leads to DNA damage
to the sperm. DNA damage is
associated with failed fertilisation
and/or possibly genetic defects in the
offspring. To address this issue, we have
launched Microfluidic-based sperm
selection devices which are designed
in Harvard Medical.
These devices which are also called
‘Lab-on-chip’, mimic the conditions
of the female reproductive tract and
allow the most healthy and motile
sperms to reach the collection well, in a
natural way, within 30 minutes. These
champion sperms thus collected can
be used for performing ICSI, IVF or
IUI. There is no need of centrifugation,
mixing or pipetting which avoids
ehealthmagazine @ehealthonline
damage to the sperm and may lead to a
Technology Perspective
healthier baby.
ColdStash Containers: With the
advent of vitrification (rapid cooling)
of reproductive cells, more and more
labs are preserving the cells for future
use. This obviously is leading to too
many storage containers inside the
IVF lab. In the space constrained labs
in India, maintaining too many Liquid
nitrogen containers has become a big
issue. In association with Boston IVF,
we have introduced a solution. We
have specially designed containers in
which you can store between two to
five times more number of patients’
samples without sacrificing the lab
space. This also saves on consumption
of Liquid Nitrogen and the hassles
associated with it.
Q
How do you analyse the IVF
market in terms of opportunity
and challenges?
Approximately one in six couples
faces the problem of infertility. That
translates to a couple of million couples
who may need advanced infertility
treatment in India.
Even with more than 1,000 IVF
centers across India, the number
of ART cycles performed annually
is not more than 2,00,000. More
and more corporate chains are
establishing multiple IVF centers and
the competition amongst clinics is
increasing. The gap between infertile
population and actual treatments needs
to be bridged.
The IVF market in India is growing
about 18-20% annually since last few
years. But due to few bottle necks and
uncertain policy framework , there is a
certain limitation foreseen to a growth
of IVF in coming years. High cost of
treatment, absence of insurance cover,
uncertainty in the treatment outcome
combined with lack of definitive
regulations, are a few key factors which
need to be addressed. Trivector as a
leading company in IVF is trying to
address some of these issues through
its activities and awareness initiatives.
eHEALTH Magazine december 2018 15