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Cornell University scientist has created an innovative microfluidic device that effectively separates the motile, highly energetic sperms; thereby increasing the chances of fertilization for couples undergoing IVF.
The current method of separating sperms for IVF is highly tedious, manual and can take hours for completion. Doctors and technicians spend hours to separate the motile, good quality sperms making the process expensive and time-consuming.
“With the new method, it’s 5 minutes instead of hours,” said Alireza Abbaspourrad, a researcher involved in the latest study.
The new device takes advantage of sperm’s ability of positive rheotaxis—natural tendency of the sperms to face against fluid flow after reaching a specific velocity. The researchers devised a microfluidic channel through which the semen sample flows to which the researchers added a “C” shaped corral and a retaining wall.
The structure creates interference to flow of sperms, and the highly motile, stronger sperm enter the corral only to be trapped by the retaining wall. “We could separate the good sperm from the not-so-strong in a reasonably elegant way. We are able to fine-tune our selection process,” said Soon Hon Cheong, another researcher involved in the study.
Meisam Zaferani, a doctoral student at the Cornell, said the device might find broader application beyond its uses in Assisted Reproductive Techniques, especially in dairy and livestock industries. “The unprecedented efficiency of our device in comparison to previous studies and its benign, passive nature makes it favorable for sperm separation,” he said.
The study, “Rheotaxis-Based Separation of Sperm with Progressive Motility Using a Microfluidic Corral System,” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences July 30.
Here is the short video of how the technique works
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