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Navigation and selection of spermatozoa in a radial flow microfluidic device
Ali Karimi1, Xieergai Jiang1, Alireza Abbaspourrad1
1Department of Food Science and Technology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. alireza@cornell.edu.
Lab on a Chip
|December 17, 2025
Summary
Researchers explored sperm
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Sperm selection is crucial for assisted reproductive technologies.
- Understanding sperm rheotaxis in microfluidic flows is key to improving selection efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sperm rheotactic behavior in radial flow.
- To develop an efficient microfluidic device for sperm selection.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling and experimental studies of sperm behavior in radial flow.
- Development of a microfluidic device (SUN chip) with radial flow and contracted pathways.
- Processing of raw bovine semen to isolate motile spermatozoa.
Main Results:
- Sperm exhibit directed migration or rotational rheotaxis depending on flow rate.
- The SUN chip successfully isolated highly motile (up to 98%) and vital spermatozoa.
- The SUN chip achieved a ~30% yield of motile sperm, with cells 50% faster than raw semen.
Conclusions:
- Radial flow microfluidics offers a promising approach for enhanced sperm selection.
- The SUN chip demonstrates potential for improving sperm quality for assisted reproduction.
- This platform can be adapted for studying other microswimmer dynamics.
