A microfluidic device to reduce treatment time of intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Objective To develop a microfluidic device that can reduce the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment time by increasing sperm concentration. Design We compared the ICSI treatment time required for porcine sperm using a method employing the microfluidic device and one using the conventional microdroplet method. Settings Academic research laboratories at Okayama University. Animal(s) Reproductive cells of porcine sperm, oocytes, and embryos. Intervention(s) Cell manipulations, ICSI, and embryo culture. Main Outcome Measure(s) Average ICSI treatment time and sperm concentration. Result(s) The average ICSI treatment time (mean ± SEM) using the method with the microfluidic device for poor-quality semen (sperm concentration, 2.0 × 104 cells/mL) was significantly shorter than the treatment time using the conventional microdroplet method (265 ± 15 seconds [n = 43] vs. 347 ± 19 seconds [n = 50]). When diluted semen with a sperm concentration of 2.0 × 105 cells/mL was used, no significant difference was observed between the two methods (n = 50 and n = 48). Conclusion(s) The microfluidic device can reduce the time required for ICSI treatment that is used to increase sperm concentration in poor-quality semen samples. The results suggest that this device may be clinically useful for ICSI treatment in human assisted reproductive technology.