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.

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.

A sperm sorting device suitable for selectively isolating motile sperms from a semen specimen includes a base and a sorting unit. The base comprises a central protruding block including a truncated cone-shaped surface, a bottom wall that surrounds the central protruding block, and an intermediate ring. The intermediate ring connects to the bottom wall via an inner wall surface. The sorting unit includes a sorting ring and a protruding ring. The sorting ring includes a central hole for a sorting filter that filters the semen specimen and is beveled at an angle that increases a permeable surface of the sorting filter. The protruding ring connects to the sorting ring via an inner sleeve surface. The sperm sorting device enhances sperm sorting quality by allowing the motile sperms to swim upward through the first sorting filter naturally.

A broad object of a the instant invention can be to provide a method for separating X and Y sperm cells within a sample sperm cell population, the method including (i) differentiating between and (ii) separating sperm cells that have undergone a cellular process and sperm cells that have not undergone the cellular process, whereby a majority of the sperm cells that have undergone the cellular process can comprise one of X or Y sperm cells, and a majority of the sperm cells that have not undergone the cellular process can comprise the other of X or Y sperm cells. As to particular embodiments, the cellular process can be a maturational step. As to particular embodiments, the maturational step can be capacitation. As to particular embodiments, the maturational step can be the acrosome reaction. As to particular embodiments, non-viable and viable sperm cells can also be (i) differentiated between and (ii) separated.

The present invention relates to apparatuses for use in electrophoretic separation of macromolecules and/or cells.

The invention encompasses methods for reducing the proportion of sperm cells with abnormal morphology, and unviable sperm cells, in a sperm cell population.

The present invention relates to apparatuses for use in electrophoretic separation of macromolecules and/or cells, and in which circulating buffer streams are not required for the electrophoretic separation of macromolecules and/or cells. In certain embodiments, the electrophoretic apparatus disclosed herein comprise a sample chamber and a harvest chamber separated by a size-exclusion membrane; non-circulating buffer chambers flanking each respective sample chamber and harvest chamber, wherein each buffer chamber is separated from each respective sample chamber and harvest chamber by an ion-permeable membrane (restriction membrane), and wherein the buffer chambers are sealed and contain a buffer solution; and an electrode positioned in each buffer chamber. Also disclosed are related methods of using the electrophoretic apparatus disclosed herein.

A microfluidic chip is provided for self-sorting highly motile, morphologically normal sperm cell with high DNA integrity from a fresh semen sample. The sperm self-sorting microfluidic chip has one or more inlet chambers, and sperm collection outlet chamber(s), and the middle of the channel features various micro-fabricated structures in different geometrical shapes and orientations, with varying periodicities and patterns, such as an array of micro-fabricated pillars that facilitate the transport of the active and healthy sperm into the outlet chamber.

The device can be used for the in vitro selection of eukaryotic cells, and in particular sperm cells (SP). It comprises a transportation channel (100), preferably a DE TR transportation channel (100), in which a solution containing said eukaryotic cells can circulate (SP), a first through passage (104) opening into said transportation channel (100), a source of electromagnetic radiation (60), which is coupled to a first end of a first optical fibre (61), the other emission end (61b) of the first optical fibre being inserted into said first through passage (104), without protruding into the transportation channel (100). The device further comprises electronic control means (7), which make it possible to automatically control said source of electromagnetic radiation (60), so as to selectively alter the eukaryotic cells (SP) circulating in the transportation channel (100), by means of the electromagnetic alteration radiation (R) emitted by the source of electromagnetic radiation (60).

An optical arrangement receives output light emanating from an object disposed within a fluid column that crosses an optical refraction boundary of the fluid column between the object and the optical arrangement. The optical arrangement modifies the output light such that the modified output light has an intensity that is more uniform than the output light.