Mesoscale sperm handling devices
US5296375A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 1, 1992 |
| Grant date | Mar 22, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 1, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S436/809
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Devices and methods are provided for the clinical analysis of a sperm sample. The devices comprise a solid substrate, typically on the order of a few millimeters thick and approximately 0.2 to 2.0 centimeters square, microfabricated to define a sample inlet port and a mesoscale flow channel extending from the inlet port. In one embodiment, a sperm sample is applied to the inlet port, and the competitive migration of the sperm sample through the mesoscale flow channel is detected to serve as an indicator of sperm motility. In another embodiment, the substrate of the device is microfabricated with a sperm inlet port, an egg nesting chamber, and an elongate mesoscale flow channel communicating between the egg nesting chamber and the inlet port. In this embodiment, a sperm sample is applied to the inlet port, and the sperm in the sample are permitted to competitively migrate from the inlet port through the channel to the egg nesting chamber, where in vitro fertilization occurs. The devices of the invention may be used in a wide range of applications in the analysis of a sperm sample, including the analysis of sperm morphology or motility, to assess sperm binding properties, and for in …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.