A microfluidic chip guides sperm 'backflow' to aid infertility

Using this natural divergent behavior of sperm, researchers at Florida Atlantic University's School of Engineering and Computer Science have developed a microfluidic chip for sperm sorting that is fast, inexpensive, easy to operate, and efficient.

Assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intrauterine insemination and intracytoplasmic sperm injection all require healthy sperm cells to be successful

The findings, published in the journal Royal Society of Chemistry Analysts, show that sperm cells isolated from the collection chambers of this microfluidic chip showed significantly higher motility (almost 100%), with normal morphological cell numbers More, DNA fragmentation, a key parameter of the fertilization process, is drastically reduced

"Operating our chip is very simple

The study also confirmed that variability selects healthy, motile and faster sperm cells for the fertilization process

"The assembly of the microfluidic chip is low-cost, and the reagents used to isolate sperm cells in the chip are only a few milliliters, so the commercial cost of the chip will be less than $5," Asghar said

The microfluidic chip consists of four cylindrical cavities connected by microchannels

Shear stress inside the device is created by the fluid flow of the syringe pump

"Conventional centrifugation often compromises sperm cell integrity

In the United States, an estimated 15 percent of couples have difficulty conceiving

Co-authors of the study are sanhya Sharma and Alam Kabir, MD, PhD candidates in medical micro and nanotechnology in the Asghar Laboratory of FAU's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

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Journal Reference :

1. Sandhya Sharma, Md.