A new microchip designed to select high-quality sperm has been developed through research led by Mohammad Mehdi Tekiyeh, a graduate of the University of Tehran’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. The project was supervised by Mehdi Moqimi Zand, a faculty member of the university’s mechanical engineering department.
According to Moqimi Zand, the device features four chambers interconnected by microchannels, optimized to maintain a low shear rate. This design minimizes sperm damage and aids in selecting the healthiest, most motile sperm.
The device operates on the principle of rheotaxis, a natural behavior in which sperm swim against the flow of fluid, demonstrating their motility and vitality. By harnessing this phenomenon, the device enables healthy sperm to migrate to specific chambers, where they are concentrated, without requiring additional preparation steps. “Unlike traditional methods, this device doesn’t need washing or pre-processing,” Moqimi Zand explained.
The device also leverages sperm’s natural tendency to swim along the boundaries of a fluid, further enhancing the separation of higher-quality sperm.
In a related development, researchers from Royan Research Institute and the University of Tehran recently designed a microsensor to detect high-quality human eggs, aiming to improve infertility treatments. The electrical microsensor, developed through a collaborative study between the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Tehran and the Royan Research Institute’s Reproductive Sciences Center, can predict egg quality by measuring three key electrical properties: the egg membrane, the egg radius, and the zona layer’s thickness.
The effectiveness of this microsensor was tested by comparing its predictions with assessments made by an embryologist. The results were published in the journal Lab Chip in 2024.
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