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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 9, 2026

U-Shaped Horizontal Swimming Technique for Preparing High-Quality Sperm with Low DNA Fragmentation Index

U-Shaped Horizontal Swimming Technique for Preparing High-Quality Sperm with Low DNA Fragmentation Index

Published on: March 28, 2025

Microfluidic-assisted sperm sorter: a high-throughput sperm selection device.

Dhiraj B Puri¹, Vadiraj Hemadri¹, Gautam Biswas¹

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Zuarinagar, Sancoale, Goa-403726, India. siddharthat@goa.bits-pilani.ac.in.

|December 5, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A new microfluidic device effectively sorts sperm cells using natural selection principles, significantly improving motility, viability, and reducing DNA damage for assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). This method enhances sperm quality for procedures like IVF and ICSI.

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Last Updated: Jan 9, 2026

U-Shaped Horizontal Swimming Technique for Preparing High-Quality Sperm with Low DNA Fragmentation Index

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Published on: March 28, 2025

Sperm Collection of Differential Quality Using Density Gradient Centrifugation

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Published on: November 29, 2018

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Published on: December 31, 2015

Area of Science:

Reproductive Biology
Biomedical Engineering
Microfluidics

Background:

Infertility is a global health concern, with assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) success depending on sperm selection.
Conventional methods can damage sperm DNA, negatively impacting clinical outcomes.
Mimicking natural selection barriers is crucial for high-quality sperm isolation.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel, cost-effective microfluidic-assisted sperm sorting (MASS) device.
To achieve high-throughput separation of motile sperm cells using natural selection mechanisms.
To assess the viability and DNA integrity of sorted sperm cells.

Main Methods:

Designed a two-layer microfluidic device utilizing sperm rheotaxis and boundary-following behavior.
Employed varying flow rates to guide motile sperm to a collection chamber.
Conducted numerical simulations for flow dynamics optimization and biological assays for sperm quality assessment.

Main Results:

The MASS device isolated >2.5 million motile sperm/mL from 500 μL semen in 20 minutes with 8.1% efficiency.
Sorted sperm showed 98.83% motility, 98.2% viability, and 2.84% DNA fragmentation.
Significantly outperformed conventional swim-up methods in sperm quality metrics.

Conclusions:

The MASS device offers a superior method for obtaining high-quality sperm for IVF and ICSI.
It provides a sufficient quantity of viable sperm with minimal DNA damage.
The device is a valuable tool for studying sperm dynamics and rheotaxis.