Cook Women's Health Launches First Long-Term Benchtop Incubator.

Revolutionary Environmental Control of MINC Benchmark Incubator Improves Successful Embryonic Development

SPENCER, Ind. -- Cook Women's Health, a division of Cook, the world's largest privately held medical device company, today announced the availability of the first of its kind MINC Benchtop Incubator for in vitro fertilization (IVF). The MINC provides fertility clinics and embryologists with unprecedented embryonic environmental control.

Every time an incubator is opened by a user the embryonic environment is changed, potentially leading to chromosomal breakdowns. The MINC is a uniquely compact and efficient incubator that significantly reduces the amount of time embryos are exposed to disruptions in temperature and pH levels - it takes only three minutes to reach environmental homeostasis in the MINC versus nearly two hours in other incubators available on the market today.

The following breakthrough features of the MINC Benchtop Incubator directly contribute to swift environmental balance:

1 Efficiency in Size and Energy - The MINC provides optimal use of laboratory space. Its compact size allows for increased cycle volume without increasing laboratory space. In addition to its unique size, the MINC uses minimal amounts of pre-mixed gas to create and maintain a physiological culture environment.

2 Temperature Control and Equilibrium - The MINC's design facilitates a balance in temperature levels by creating an almost instantaneous stable thermal environment. Upon entering the incubator, embryos are directly exposed to a consistent temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. More importantly, the rapid heat transfer provides for a dramatically faster recovery time than other incubators and minimizes embryonic stress.

3 Rapid pH Recovery - When the lid of the MINC is closed, gas is automatically purged to re-establish the optimal embryonic environment and return the pH level to its normal physiological range. As incubators are opened frequently to monitor for fertilization, a prompt return to normal pH level is vital to the genetic composition of the embryos.

"Thousands of women struggle with infertility and many turn to in vitro fertilization as the solution. However the procedure can lead to disappointment if the environment of the embryos is constantly being altered. The MINC represents a significant advancement in the design of incubators and ultimately allows for a greater percentage of successfully developed embryos," says Christina AnnE[umlaut], Global Leader of Cook Women's Health. "The incubator generates environmental homeostasis almost immediately, and the compact size allows the incubator to be used in even the smallest labs, making it the best choice for any environment."

Since the announced launch of the specialized business unit in May, Cook Women's Health has brought a new level of patient-centered innovation to the marketplace. Cook Women's Health is dedicated to developing solutions for patients in the fields of infertility, high-risk obstetrics, chronic pelvic pain, pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence.

About Cook Medical

With international headquarters in Bloomington, Indiana, COOK[R] (www.cookmedical.com), the world's largest privately held medical device manufacturer, is a leading designer, manufacturer and global distributor of minimally invasive medical device technology for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Since its founding in 1963, Cook has created innovative technologies for radiology, cardiology, urology, critical care medicine, general surgery, assisted reproduction, gynecology and obstetrics, endovascular medicine, gastroenterology and endoscopy.