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NOVEL RHEOTAXIS-BASED MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES FOR SORTING HUMAN SPERM

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Date Issued:
2022
Abstract/Description:
The ultimate challenge for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) is to select the most competent sperm population from a semen sample in an efficient way. In this thesis, we report on an effective sperm sorting microfluidic device that exploits the rheotaxis of sperm and investigates the sperm quality sorted under various flow conditions. Rheotaxis is the ability of a sperm cell to orient itself in the direction of the flow and swim against it. We developed a novel passively driven pumping system that provides a steady flow rate while it requires no external power source. We have also developed another rheotaxis-based microfluidic device that washes out the raw semen sample from any dead or less motile sperm. The device consists of a collection and waste chamber. To evaluate the effect of the shape and height of the collection chamber, we measured the sperm motility and velocity parameters after sorting using varying the shape and height of the collection chamber. We demonstrated that sperm selected with all devices have higher motility, normal morphology, and a fewer degree of DNA fragmentation compared to a control group.
Title: NOVEL RHEOTAXIS-BASED MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES FOR SORTING HUMAN SPERM.
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Name(s): Ataei, Afrouz , author
Lau, Andy W.C. , Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Department of Physics
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2022
Date Issued: 2022
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 96 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The ultimate challenge for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) is to select the most competent sperm population from a semen sample in an efficient way. In this thesis, we report on an effective sperm sorting microfluidic device that exploits the rheotaxis of sperm and investigates the sperm quality sorted under various flow conditions. Rheotaxis is the ability of a sperm cell to orient itself in the direction of the flow and swim against it. We developed a novel passively driven pumping system that provides a steady flow rate while it requires no external power source. We have also developed another rheotaxis-based microfluidic device that washes out the raw semen sample from any dead or less motile sperm. The device consists of a collection and waste chamber. To evaluate the effect of the shape and height of the collection chamber, we measured the sperm motility and velocity parameters after sorting using varying the shape and height of the collection chamber. We demonstrated that sperm selected with all devices have higher motility, normal morphology, and a fewer degree of DNA fragmentation compared to a control group.
Identifier: FA00013971 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2022.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Microfluidic devices
Rheotaxis
Spermatozoa
Reproductive Techniques, Assisted
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013971
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.