A scaffolding material for culturing a stem cell, which contains a synthetic resin, and has a nitrogen content of the synthetic resin of 0.1% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less. According to the scaffolding material for stem cell culture, the scaffolding material can have suitable hydrophilicity and strength, high fixation of stem cells after seeding, and highly efficient cell proliferation.

The present invention provides a sperm sorting chip and a method for sorting sperm using the same. Said sperm sorting chip includes: a flow channel structure sequentially configured with a gradually diverging flow field region, a main flow channel, and a gradually converging main flow channel intercommunicated with each other from a first side end to a second side end; a fluid injection port, a semen injection port, and a semen extraction port separately located at the first side end and communicated with a main input channel of the gradual diverging flow field region; and a waste fluid outlet located at the second side end and communicated with the gradually converging main flow channel. The gradually diverging flow field region further includes a plurality of sub-input channels derived from the main input channel and converged into the main flow channel, and the plurality of sub-input channels have a gradually widening channel width at the junction with the main flow channel. By contrast, the gradually converging main flow channel has a gradually narrowing channel width toward the waste fluid outlet.

A scaffolding material for stem cell culture, which has a dispersion component .sup.d of the surface free energy of 24.5 or more and less than 45.0, and a dipole component .sup.p of the surface free energy of 1 or more and less than 20.0. According to the scaffolding material for stem cell culture, the scaffolding material can have suitable hydrophilicity and strength, high fixation of stem cells after seeding, and highly efficient cell proliferation.

A disposable polymer container for manipulation of small specimens adapted to optimize heat transfer between an external heating element and specimens herein contained. In particular, this invention relates to the field of containers for Assisted Reproductive Technology hereunder In-vitro fertilization (IVF).

A sperm sorter and a sperm sorting method are provided. The sperm sorter includes an inlet chamber, a swim up sorting chamber, a divergent channel, a recycling chamber and an outlet chamber. The swim up sorting chamber is communicated with the inlet chamber. The swim up sorting chamber is communicated between the inlet chamber and the divergent channel. The divergent channel has an entrance terminal close to the swim up sorting chamber and an exit terminal away from the swim up sorting chamber. A width and a depth of the entrance terminal are respectively less than a width and a depth of the exit terminal. The recycling chamber is communicated with the exit terminal of the divergent channel. The outlet chamber is communicated with a portion of the divergent channel between the entrance terminal and the exit terminal.

A method of ranking embryos to indicate their development potential. The method comprises: obtaining values for a plurality of characteristics relating to the morphological development of the embryos during an observation period; determining for respective ones of the embryos whether or not the embryo has undergone a direct cleavage event, and ranking the embryos determined to have undergone a direct cleavage event with a ranking that indicates a lower development potential than for the embryos not determined to have undergone a direct cleavage event; and for the embryos not determined to have undergone a direct cleavage event, determining whether or not a duration of a predefined developmental stage for the embryo exceeds a predefined threshold duration, and ranking embryos for which the duration of the predefined developmental stage is determined to exceed the predefined threshold duration with a ranking that indicates a lower development potential than for the embryos for which the duration of the predefined developmental stage is not determined to exceed the predefined threshold duration; and for the embryos for which the duration of the predefined developmental stage is not determined to exceed the predefined threshold duration, determining whether or not the relative durations of two predefined developmental stages for the embryo is outside a predefined range, and ranking embryos for which the relative durations of two predefined developmental stages for the embryo is outside a predefined range with a ranking that indicates a lower development potential than for the embryos for which the relative durations of two predefined developmental stages for the embryo is not outside the predefined range.

A stage device capable of performing piercing vibration and translational driving by using one actuator, and performing very low-speed driving in the translational driving with high accuracy. The stage device includes an X stage having a vibration actuator that includes an vibration element and a contact body, one of which is a movable body connected to an object to be driven, and drives the object to be driven in an X-axis direction, and a control section that controls driving of the vibration actuator. The control section causes two-phase AC voltages to be applied to an electromechanical energy conversion element to thereby excite predetermined vibrations in the vibration element, to drive the vibration actuator by switching between a movement mode for moving the object to be driven in the X-axis direction and a vibration mode for vibrating the object to be driven in the X-axis direction.

An egg sealing unit for an automated biological sample collection system and method of use. The egg sealing unit seals the section of egg from which the shell has been removed. The egg sealing unit includes a sampler, an applicator and an imaging adaptor providing an optical conduit between the surface of an egg and the CAM. The applicator is configured to deliver exogenous material to the CAM, the sampler is configured to collect samples from the CAM and the imaging adaptor allows the CAM to be monitored.

An integrated chip is provided and comprises systems for sperm sorting, oocyte incubation and fertilization and liquid perfusion. The sperm sorting system comprises an inlet, an outlet, a main channel and a branch channel. The main channel has a width which increases along a direction from the inlet toward the outlet. The branch channel is connected to the main channel. The oocyte incubation and fertilization system is connected to the branch channel and comprises upper and lower holes. The upper hole is larger than the oocyte to hold the oocyte to be fertilized by a sperm. The lower hole is smaller than the oocyte. The sorted sperms are introduced into the oocyte incubation and fertilization system through the branch channel, to fertilize with the oocytes in the upper holes. The liquid perfusion system is located below the lower holes and a liquid exchange is performed through the second holes.

The present invention aims to provide a device for cryopreservation which enables easy and reliable cryopreservation of a cell or tissue. The device for cryopreservation of a cell or tissue of the present invention includes a deposition part on which a cell or tissue is to be deposited together with a preservation solution, wherein a surface of the deposition part includes a protrusion for holding a cell or tissue and a recess for storing a preservation solution.