Póster ESHRE 2017: Evolutionary-like selection on-a-chip: Using microfluidics to isolate the fittest sperm

  • Fecha: 2 julio, 2017
  • Revista: ESHRE 2017
  • Autores: T. Chinnasamy, J. Kingsley, N.G. Durmus, P.J. Turek, M.P. Rosen, B. Behr, L.M. Steinmetz, E. Tüzel, U. Demirci

Study question: To develop a microfluidic device for selective sorting of motile, morphologically normal sperm with high DNA integrity for ICSI applications.

Summary answer: Microfluidic chip sorted human sperm showed higher motility, morphologically normal and DNA integrity compared to unsorted or traditionally sorted sperm.

What is known already: The path that sperm take through the female reproductive system has been conserved for millions of years. This suggests that this sperm journey has significant evolutionary importance. In fact, we know very little about how this reproductive journey influences or “filters” sperm quality for fertilization. We hypothesize that evolutionarily important attributes of sperm are improved by this sperm journey. We sought to partially mimic this complex pathway using microfluidics by creating various threedimensional geometries within microscopic channels. Geometric selection sets were developed based on known hydrodynamic principles that guide the interaction between sperm and surrounding periodic structures.