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.

The present application relates to a microfluidic system and its method for use for the separation of motile sperm from immotile sperm or motile bacteria from immotile bacteria. The system includes a housing having a first end, and a second end, with a passage connecting the first and second ends. There is an inlet at the first end of the housing for charging fluids into the passage and an outlet at the second end of said housing for discharging fluids from the passage. There are one or more corrals within the passage, each of the corrals including a closed side and a partially open side. The closed side of the corrals is closer to the first end than the partially open side, with the closed side and partially open side defining between them a confinement region suitable for retaining motile sperm or motile bacteria.

Disclosed herein is a low cost and rapid microfluidic based method and test device for quantifying male fertility potential. The device can simultaneously measure three critical semen parameters rapidly, namely live sperm concentration, motile sperm concentration, and sperm motility. The device includes a transparent substrate and a top sheet with two holes therethrough and an intermediate sheet sandwiched between the substrate and the top sheet. The wells formed by holes form a concentration measuring well (C) and a motility well (M) formed by the top sheet with these two holes bonded to the intermediate sheet. A colorimetric agent is located on the top surface of the intermediate sheet at the bottom of each well which changes color when in contact with sperm. In the motility well a porous membrane is located on top of the colorimetric agent and a liquid buffer may be placed on the top surface of the porous membrane. Applying part of a sperm sample to the C well results in direct contact of any live sperm with the colorimetric agent causing a color change, applying part of the sperm sample to the M well results in live sperm with sufficient motility to swim vertically down through the liquid buffer and through the porous membrane to the colorimetric agent. Evaluating the intensities of the color change of the colorimetric agents before and after contact with the sample gives a measure of total concentration of live sperm and motile sperm from which sperm motility is calculated.

The present invention provides a medical device and a method for the selective separation of a biological sample of a mammal into a first portion and a second portion. It comprises a first layer comprising a first reservoir for receiving the biological sample and for retaining the first portion of the sample, and a second layer comprising a second reservoir for receiving the second portion of the sample. Between the first layer and the second layer a third layer is provided, wherein the third layer comprises a plurality of channels configured to provide a fluid communication between the first reservoir and the second reservoir. Furthermore, between the first layer and the second layer a fourth layer adjacent to the third layer is provided, wherein the fourth layer comprises and/or is configured as a separation layer. At least the third and fourth layer are configured to selectively separate the biological sample between the first reservoir and the second reservoir into the first portion and the second portion of the sample. According to the invention, the layers are to be understood to be stackable in a substantially vertical plane, forming a three-dimensional layered structure.

Haploid human embryonic stem cells and cell lines, haploid multipotent human cells, and haploid differentiated human cells are provided. In addition, methods of making and using the haploid human cells are provided.

This disclosure relates to methods for sorting sperm cells in a microfluidic chip. In particular, various steps are incorporated to align and orienting sperm in flow channels, as well as, to determining sperm orientation and measure relative DNA content for analysis and/or sorting.

The present invention provides a new and improved sperm stimulating additive comprising a certain amount of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi). Addition of PPi in the media for human/animal in vitro fertilization (IVF) improves fertilization rate; addition of PPi in the semen extender for farm animal artificial insemination (AI) may improve pregnancy rates; furthermore, mammalian oocytes matured in vitro in a medium including PPi attain improved fertilization and developmental potential, while embryos cultured in medium supplemented with PPi have improved development to blastocyst.

The present invention generally relates to compositions and methods for the handling of processed sperm populations including samples that are freshly collected, those transported as fresh samples, as well as samples that are frozen and thawed, those sorted into one or more subpopulations, and those that are otherwise processed or handled that impose trauma on the sperm cell. Such trauma can reduce the motility, fertility, viability and overall integrity of the sperm and reduce the sperm's ability to fertilize an egg, grow into a health embryo and produce a healthy offspring. The present invention relates to novel compounds that can be added to the sperm cell sample to reduce the traumatic effects of physical stress during mild as well as extensive sperm cell processing, methods of using the compounds in standard sperm processing procedures, the end products made from these methods including sperm and embryos, as well as methods of using those end products in assisted reproductive biology techniques in animals.

Haploid human embryonic stem cells and cell lines, haploid multipotent human cells, and haploid differentiated human cells are provided. In addition, methods of making and using the haploid human cells are provided.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to processes, systems, and compositions useful in manipulating a ratio of viable X chromosome bearing sperm to viable Y chromosome bearing sperm in at least one sperm population and useful for preserving the resulting manipulated sperm population. In some embodiments a cryoprotectant may be incorporated into various medias used in manipulating the sperm sample, such as in a staining media, a sheath fluid, and a collection media.