The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is considering labelling all sperm, eggs and embryos with either electronic ID tags or barcodes. In 2002, the IVF clinic at Leeds General Infirmary used the wrong sperm during a treatment, which lead to a white couple having twins of mixed race. New labelling procedures now being discussed would prevent this type of incident occuring.
Labelling for IVF procedures are already being developed at the IMT International in Chester, where barcodes on the bottom of dishes are read by built-in digital cameras, so if a dish used does not match the patient, an alarm will sound. A barcoding system is already used by the National Blood Service and has resulted in a major drop in errors.
An alternative to barcodes is labelling with electronic RFID tags. A system has been developed by Research Instruments in Falmouth where a tag placed on the bottom of each dish will transmit a unique ID using radio waves, again resulting in an alarm sounding if the incorrect dish is used. Testing has been carried out on mouse embryos that would suggest that there is no expected risk from this procedure.