Selection of high-quality sperm with thousands of parallel channels. Issue 12 (13th May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Simchi, Mohammad; Riordon, Jason; You, Jae Bem; Wang, Yihe; Xiao, Sa; Lagunov, Alexander; Hannam, Thomas; Jarvi, Keith; Nosrati, Reza; Sinton, David
• Is Part Of: Lab on a chip. Volume 21:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: 2464
• Page End: 2475
• Publication Date: 2021-05-13
• Subjects: Miniature electronic equipment -- Periodicals; Combinatorial chemistry -- Periodicals; Biotechnology -- Periodicals; 543.0813
• DOI: 10.1039/d0lc01182g
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1473-0197

Abstract

Abstract : A 3D-structured sperm selection device is presented that achieves both high selectivity and high yield via thousands of parallel channels. The device significantly outperforms the best clinical practice by selecting ∼100 000 of higher-quality sperm. Abstract : Sperm selection is essential for successful fertilization and embryo development. Current clinical sperm selection methods are labor-intensive and lack the selectivity required to isolate high-quality sperm. Microfluidic sperm selection approaches have shown promise but present a trade-off between the quality and quantity of selected sperm – clinicians demand both. The structure of the female reproductive tract helps to isolate a sufficient quantity of high-quality sperm for fertilization with densely folded epithelium that provides a multitude of longitudinally oriented pathways that guide sperm toward the fertilization site. Here, a three-dimensionally structured sperm selection device is presented that levers this highly parallelized in vivo mechanism for in vitro sperm selection. The device is inserted in a test tube atop 1 mL of raw semen and provides 6500 channels that isolate ∼100 000 high-DNA-integrity sperm for assisted reproduction. In side-by-side clinical testing, the developed approach outperforms the best current clinical methods by improving the DNA integrity of the selected sperm subpopulation up to 95%. Also, the device streamlines clinical workflow, reducing the time required for sperm preparation 3-fold. This single-tube, single-step sperm preparation approach promises to improve both the economics and outcomes of assisted reproduction practices, especially in cases with significant male-factors.