Design and Use of a Microfluidic Device for Oocyte Quality Screening

Oocyte quality is a major factor limiting female fertility. In the context of medically assisted reproduction (MAR), the assessment of oocyte quality is not yet well established, and researchers are screening for characteristics likely to influence pregnancy rate using a wide variety of approaches based on chemistry, -omics, optics, and physical parameters. In this context, microfluidics appears to be a promising technology as it allows the incorporation of multiple sensors on an easy-to-use platform, thus offering practical solutions for oocyte assessment in MAR routines. However, while a variety of microfluidic systems have been established for the manipulation of thousands or millions of cells, few are applicable to single cells of typical oocyte size, limiting the use of microfluidic devices in assisted reproductive technologies. We propose the design of a microfluidic device and a protocol for operating a single oocyte to any sensor integrated into the device and then retrieving it for fertilization. Our approach does not induce morphological alterations in oocytes and is compatible with standard MAR protocols.