Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Chromatin- and actin-mediated mitochondrial streaming leads to patterning of mitochondrial distribution in oocytes.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Microfluidic-assisted self-assembly of information-bearing oligomers.

Nanoscale·2026
Same author

Refined trajectory smoothing and deep learning classification of human sperm motility.

Human reproduction (Oxford, England)·2026
Same author

Open Microfluidic Cell Culture in Hydrogels Enabled by 3D-Printed Molds.

Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
Same author

Repeated pulses of ultrasound maintain sperm motility.

Lab on a chip·2024
Same author

Novel application of metabolic imaging of early embryos using a light-sheet on-a-chip device: a proof-of-concept study.

Human reproduction (Oxford, England)·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics
12:26

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics

Published on: August 27, 2013

17.3K

Surface acoustic wave-driven pumpless flow for sperm rheotaxis analysis.

Junyang Gai1, Citsabehsan Devendran1, Adrian Neild1

  • 1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia. Adrian.Neild@monash.edu.

Lab on a Chip
|October 27, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a new device using acoustic streaming to study sperm rheotaxis, the ability of sperm to swim against fluid flow. This technology offers a pumpless method to understand sperm navigation in the female reproductive tract.

More Related Videos

Two Types of Assays for Detecting Frog Sperm Chemoattraction
10:02

Two Types of Assays for Detecting Frog Sperm Chemoattraction

Published on: December 27, 2011

19.1K
Flow Cytometric Analysis of Biomarkers for Detecting Human Sperm Functional Defects
08:48

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Biomarkers for Detecting Human Sperm Functional Defects

Published on: April 21, 2022

2.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics
12:26

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics

Published on: August 27, 2013

17.3K
Two Types of Assays for Detecting Frog Sperm Chemoattraction
10:02

Two Types of Assays for Detecting Frog Sperm Chemoattraction

Published on: December 27, 2011

19.1K
Flow Cytometric Analysis of Biomarkers for Detecting Human Sperm Functional Defects
08:48

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Biomarkers for Detecting Human Sperm Functional Defects

Published on: April 21, 2022

2.6K

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Microfluidics

Background:

  • Sperm rheotaxis is crucial for sperm migration in the female reproductive tract.
  • Existing methods for studying sperm rheotaxis are challenging for rare samples due to continuous buffer introduction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel device for studying sperm rheotaxis using acoustic streaming.
  • To investigate sperm rheotaxis in microchannels mimicking female reproductive tract geometries.
  • To analyze sperm dynamics and migration strategies under controlled fluid flow.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a device utilizing acoustic streaming to generate tuneable, regulated continuous flow (40–128 μm s⁻¹).
  • Studied sperm rheotaxis in microchannels of varying geometries (e.g., 50 μm, 225 μm).
  • Measured sperm lateral head displacement (ALH) and curvilinear velocity (VCL) under acoustically-generated flow.

Main Results:

  • Acoustic streaming enabled controlled flow rates suitable for rheotaxis studies.
  • Observed a 28% increase in ALH for rheotactic sperm in a 50 μm channel.
  • Found altered migration direction and a 52% increase in VCL for sperm in a 225 μm channel with increasing flow velocity.

Conclusions:

  • The acoustic streaming device provides a simple, pumpless method for studying microswimmers.
  • Findings offer insights into sperm navigation strategies, suggesting sperm utilize boundaries to overcome reproductive tract flow.
  • The technology has potential applications in sperm selection and other flow-dependent biological studies.