A system and method for sorting sperm is provided. The system includes a housing and a microfluidic system supported by the housing. The system also includes an inlet providing access to the microfluidic system to deliver sperm to the microfluidic system and an outlet providing access to the microfluidic system to harvest sorted sperm from the microfluidic system. The microfluidic system provides a flow path for sperm from the inlet to the outlet and includes at least one channel extending from the inlet to the outlet to allow sperm delivered to the microfluidic system through the inlet to progress along the flow path toward the outlet. The microfluidic system also includes a filter including a first plurality of micropores arranged in the flow path between the inlet and the outlet to cause sperm traveling along the flow path to move against through the filter and gravity to reach the outlet.

The present disclosure provides methods and devices for separation of motile sperm. A method of separating motile sperm comprises: introducing a fluid sample comprising motile sperm to an inlet portion of a microfluidic device; and causing the fluid sample to flow through a separation portion of the microfluidic device at a flow velocity within a rheotaxis range such that motile sperm in the sample undergo rheotaxis and remain in the separation whereas a part of the fluid sample flows out of the separation zone through an outlet portion of the microfluidic device.

Disclosed is a composition for selective enrichment of progressively motile non-fragmented/intact DNA sperms during swim-up of semen sample comprising combination of electrolytes, a mix of excipients, polyyvinylpyrrolidone, recombinant human serum albumin or bovine serum albumin. A method of selective enrichment of DNA-intact sperms using the compositions of the present invention is also disclosed. The DNA fragmentation index of the swim-up sperms are less than the DNA fragmentation index of the neat samples. The media compositions of the present invention are applicable for enrichment of non-fragmented/intact DNA sperms for therapeutic purposes in the field of assisted reproductive technologies.

A system and method for sorting sperm is provided. The system includes a housing and a microfluidic system supported by the housing. The system also includes an inlet providing access to the microfluidic system to deliver sperm to the microfluidic system and an outlet providing access to the microfluidic system to harvest sorted sperm from the microfluidic system. The microfluidic system provides a flow path for sperm from the inlet to the outlet and includes at least one channel extending from the inlet to the outlet to allow sperm delivered to the microfluidic system through the inlet to progress along the flow path toward the outlet. The microfluidic system also includes a filter including a first plurality of micropores arranged in the flow path between the inlet and the outlet to cause sperm traveling along the flow path to move against through the filter and gravity to reach the outlet.

A microfluidic system configured to focus particles suspended in a fluid. One general aspect includes a microfluidic system comprising one or more substrates and a focusing channel formed in the one or more substrates and spanning a length from an inlet to an outlet for receiving a flow of particles suspended in fluid, wherein the particles have a diameter (a) and the focusing channel has a hydraulic diameter (dh).

A microfluidic chip orients and isolates components in a sample fluid mixture by two-step focusing, where sheath fluids compress the sample fluid mixture in a sample input channel in one direction, such that the sample fluid mixture becomes a narrower stream bounded by the sheath fluids, and by having the sheath fluids compress the sample fluid mixture in a second direction further downstream, such that the components are compressed and oriented in a selected direction to pass through an interrogation chamber in single file formation for identification and separation by various methods. The isolation mechanism utilizes external, stacked piezoelectric actuator assemblies disposed on a microfluidic chip holder, or piezoelectric actuator assemblies on-chip, so that the actuator assemblies are triggered by an electronic signal to actuate jet chambers on either side of the sample input channel, to jet selected components in the sample input channel into one of the output channels.

Systems and methods are provided for evaluating the quality of a semen sample at a mobile device. An assembly includes an optical assembly with at least one lens and a housing configured to engage with the mobile device such that an axis of the optical assembly is substantially aligned with a camera of the mobile device. The optical assembly is contained within the housing. A microfluidic chip includes a reservoir to hold the semen sample. The microfluidic chip engages with the housing such that the reservoir is aligned with the axis of the optical assembly.

This disclosure concerns a cytometry system including a handling system that enables presentation of single cells to at least one laser source. The laser source is configured to deliver light to a cell within the cells in order to induce bond vibrations in the cellular DNA. The system further includes a detection facility that detects the signature of the bond vibrations, wherein the bond vibration signature is used to determine the folding or packing of the DNA.

An apparatus for identifying analytes of a first type in a fluid sample having a plurality of types includes a closed flow cell. The flow cell includes a sample inlet, a sample outlet. A flow path, between the inlet and outlet, passing through an interrogation region and at least a portion extending from immediately upstream to immediately downstream of the interrogation region is bounded by a flow cell well to form a continuous closed flow path. The apparatus also includes a spherical element having a center point coincident with the interrogation region. A hydrodynamic focusing element upstream of the interrogation region creates a core-in-sheath flow along a flow axis of the flow path as it passes through the interrogation region. Further, the apparatus includes a concave, ellipsoidal collector element having a first focal point disposed in the interrogation region of the flow path. A plurality of beams of electromagnetic energy converge non-axisymmetrically at the interrogation region, each of the plurality of beams orthogonal to the flow axis.

The method provides a hyaluronic-acid binding based technique to separate functionally competent and mature sperm. The method for extracting viable sperms from a semen sample comprises incubating functionalized HA with functionalized paramagnetic beads to obtain a plurality of HA coated paramagnetic beads. The method further comprises incubating the plurality of HA coated paramagnetic beads with the semen sample to obtain a first population and a second population of sperm. The first population comprises sperm bound to the plurality of HA coated paramagnetic beads and the second population comprises sperms not bound to the plurality of HA coated paramagnetic beads. The method comprises magnetically separating the first population from the second population and separating sperms from the plurality of HA coated paramagnetic beads in the separated first population to obtain the viable sperms.