Geri™ Next-Generation Embryo Incubator Launches in China, Offering a Disturbance-Free 'VIP Suite' for Embryo Cultivation

Guangzhou, China, January 16, 2021 – The Geri™ next-generation embryo incubator, introduced by Merck, a leading global science and technology company, was officially launched in the Chinese market. Developed and manufactured by Genea, the Geri™ embryo incubator (Registration Certificate No.: Guo Xie Zhu Jin 20202180490) is commercially promoted in China by Merck under authorization from Genea Biomedx. As a robust addition to Merck’s integrated assisted reproductive technology (ART) solutions, the Geri™ embryo incubator is designed to create an independent, undisturbed culture environment for embryos, providing personalized and stable culture conditions to safeguard embryonic development. Its intelligent user experience supports transplantation decision-making and enhances laboratory efficiency.

Rogier Janssens, Managing Director of Merck China’s Healthcare Business“Helping to create life is Merck’s mission. With over 60 years of deep expertise in the field of assisted reproduction, Merck is a global leader in assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment, committed to integrating pharmaceutical therapies, laboratory technologies, and services to continuously drive industry advancement through innovation. The introduction of the innovative Geri™ embryo incubator will further enrich and strengthen Merck’s 360° integrated ART solutions, helping to improve ART success rates and enabling more couples to realize their dream of having a baby.”

Group Photo of Attendees at the Geri™ Next-Generation Embryo Incubator China Launch Event

Focusing on Unmet Needs to Accelerate Technological Innovation in Reproductive Laboratories

In China, the incidence of infertility is approximately 15.5%.[1]. Due to factors such as delayed marriage and childbearing, declining fertility intentions, life stress, and environmental pollution, this proportion continues to show an upward trend. As an important means of treating infertility, the demand for assisted reproductive technologies, represented by in vitro fertilization (IVF), continues to rise.

As of the end of 2019, there were a total of 517 medical institutions in China approved to conduct human assisted reproductive technology.[2]As a core metric for assessing assisted reproduction, the success rate of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment is the primary concern for patients when selecting healthcare institutions. Laboratory equipment and environmental conditions significantly influence ART success rates. In the critical stage of embryo culture, clinicians and embryologists urgently require further laboratory technological innovations to meet clinical needs and enhance laboratory efficiency. Merck has introduced the award-winning Geri™ next-generation embryo incubator into China, offering clinicians and embryologists a more precise and efficient innovative solution.

Independent and Interference-Free, Optimizing the Embryo Culture Environment

In the laboratory, in vitro embryo culture typically lasts for 3–6 days. During this period, the incubator simulates the in vivo growth environment of the embryo, providing appropriate temperature, humidity, and gas conditions. Traditional embryo incubators house multiple embryos in a shared space and require the embryos to be removed from the incubator multiple times for observation and recording. The resulting environmental fluctuations can significantly affect the performance of the culture medium and embryonic development.[3]。

Unlike designs where multiple embryos share a common space, the Geri™ embryo incubator features six independently controlled culture chambers, each equipped with dedicated sensors. Each chamber accommodates embryos from a single patient, providing stable temperature, humidity, and gas concentrations, ensuring safe lighting conditions, and creating an isolated, interference-free “VIP” private environment.

Attendees Participate in Hands-on Workshop

Continuous Embryo Monitoring, Empowering Precise Decision-Making

As a critical component of assisted reproductive technology, advancements in embryo culture play a pivotal role. With the accelerating pace of innovation toward intelligent and automated laboratory technologies and equipment, the integration of innovative techniques that offer significant clinical benefits into laboratory and clinical practice will undoubtedly further safeguard embryonic development and improve pregnancy outcomes.

In recent years, laboratory technologies, particularly those for observing embryo development, have advanced significantly. The Geri™ embryo incubator integrates continuous embryo monitoring technology. Each dedicated chamber is equipped with an independent microscope and a high-resolution camera, providing detailed time-lapse imaging. This innovative design minimizes camera movement and frequent lid openings while capturing detailed records of embryo development. Embryologists can access continuous monitoring data from each chamber to identify abnormal developmental patterns directly associated with embryo implantation potential.[4], aiding in the selection of embryos with greater developmental potential and improving patients' embryo utilization rates.

Streamline Workflows to Enhance Laboratory Efficiency

The Geri™ embryo incubator has won multiple international design awards, including the Best Product Design and Best Overall Award at the 2016 Australian Good Design Awards; the Gold Award at the 19th Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) in 2017; and the Australian Design Innovation of the Year Award in 2018.

The GeriTM embryo incubator is designed with the needs of embryologists in mind. For instance, it streamlines workflows and enhances laboratory efficiency through features such as a compact benchtop design and modular chambers. Its small footprint facilitates easy integration and saves laboratory space. The modular design allows each chamber to be independently inserted or removed, enabling autonomous operation.

In addition to high-performance hardware, the application of digital technologies has significantly enhanced the user experience of GeriTM. This integrated “hardware-and-software” approach helps create more efficient and flexible workflows. The GeriTM software can connect to multiple devices simultaneously, enabling real-time remote monitoring and assessment, as well as supporting remote access to patient and embryo data.

Address by Cui Xuan, Head of the Reproductive Health Division of Merck China Healthcare

“The GeriTM next-generation embryo incubator is a prime example of innovation and advancement in ART laboratory technology, and another cornerstone in building Merck’s integrated assisted reproductive technology (ART) solutions,” said Cui Xuan, Head of the Reproductive Health Business Unit at Merck China Healthcare. “From raising patients’ awareness of reproductive health to providing high-quality counseling and treatment services, Merck remains by patients’ sides throughout their fertility journey. To address the unmet needs of patients in China, we will continue to integrate our expertise and strengths in pharmaceuticals, laboratory technologies, and services. Through innovation and collaboration, we aim to promote the standardization, automation, and excellence of assisted reproductive technologies, thereby advancing our mission of ‘Helping Couples Become Parents.’”

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Company Statement

The Geri™ embryo incubator (Registration Certificate No.: Guo Xie Zhu Jin 20202180490) is developed and manufactured by Genea. Genea Biomedx is responsible for the distribution of the Geri™ embryo incubator in China, and Merck has been authorized to conduct commercial promotion of the Geri™ embryo incubator in China in collaboration with Genea Biomedx.

About Merck

Merck is a leading global science and technology company focused on three key areas: Healthcare, Life Science, and Performance Materials. Approximately 57,000 employees worldwide work at Merck to create more joyful and sustainable ways of living, positively impacting the lives of millions. From advanced gene-editing technologies and unique approaches to treating the most challenging diseases, to enabling smarter devices—Merck is everywhere. In 2019, Merck generated total sales of €16.2 billion across 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and a responsible corporate spirit have always been the keys to Merck’s technological progress, as well as the secret to its enduring vitality since 1668. As the founders of the company, the Merck family still holds the majority of Merck’s shares. We operate under the name “Merck” globally, with the exception of the United States and Canada. In these two countries, Merck’s three business sectors—Healthcare, Life Science, and Performance Materials—are known respectively as “EMD Serono,” “MilliporeSigma,” and “EMD Performance Materials.” Merck has been present in China for 87 years, currently employing over 4,200 people and operating 20 registered companies in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Wuxi, Suzhou, and Nantong.

[1] Zhou, Z, Zheng, D, Wu, H, Li, R, Xu, S, Kang, Y, Cao, Y, Chen, X, Zhu, Y, Xu, S, Chen, Z‐J, Mol, BW, Qiao, J. Epidemiology of infertility in China: a population‐based study. BJOG 2018; 125: 432– 441.

[2]  National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, List of Medical Institutions Approved to Conduct Human Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Establish Human Sperm Banks, April 21, 2020

^[3] Swain, JE., et al. “Optimizing the culture environment and embryo manipulation to help maintain embryo developmental potential.” Fertility and sterility 105.3 (2016): 571-587.

[4] Kovacs, P. (2014) “Embryo selection: the role of time-lapse monitoring.”Reprod Biol Endocrinol 12 (1): 124-135.