System and method for sperm sorting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11946846-B2
Application number	US-202318367772-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2023
Priority date	Nov 20, 2013
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for sorting sperm, comprising:
delivering a sample of sperm to an inlet of a fluidic system;
allowing some sperm from the sample of sperm to traverse a flow path in a flow-free manner through the fluidic system toward an outlet of a filter chamber of the fluidic system;
filtering the sperm within the filter chamber using a filter and gravity to restrict movement of the sperm through the filter, wherein the filter has micropores sized to permit a head of the sperm in the sample to pass therethrough;
allowing the sperm after passing through the filter and overcoming gravity, to pass in a flow-free manner through the outlet and into an additional collection channel and/or chamber arranged at the outlet such that it is in fluid communication with the filter chamber and such that a percentage of motile sperm that are present at the additional collection channel and/or chamber is greater than a percentage in the sample; and
harvesting sperm in a liquid from the additional collection channel and/or chamber to retrieve the harvested sperm from the fluidic system, wherein the harvested sperm comprise some live, functional sperm from the sample.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic system comprises a housing including a lower component and an upper component coupled together to form the filter chamber.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the filter is located between the lower component and the upper component.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the micropores are less than 10 μm in diameter.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the micropores are at least 1 μm and less than μm in diameter.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the micropores are greater than 4.5 μm and less than 10 μm in diameter.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the inlet extends through a top surface of the lower component.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additional collection channel and/or chamber comprises a collection chamber.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the additional collection chamber does not comprise an additional filter connected to another outlet.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additional collection channel and/or chamber comprises a collection channel.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein no other channels extend from the filter chamber above the filter other than the additional collection channel.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additional collection channel and/or chamber comprises a channel in fluidic connection with a chamber that is open to the environment.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the harvested sperm in an IVF or ICSI procedure.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the harvested sperm when retrieved from the fluidic system are collected into a container that is not attached to the fluidic system.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample of sperm delivered to the fluidic system has a volume between about 700 μL and about 3 ml.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least 84.4% of the harvested sperm are motile.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein 85% to 95% of the harvested sperm are motile.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outlet is open when sperm are delivered to the fluidic system.

19. A method for sorting sperm, comprising:
A. delivering a sample of sperm into an inlet of a fluidic system, wherein the fluidic system comprises a housing including a lower component and an upper component coupled together to form a filter chamber;
B. allowing at least some motile sperm in the sample of sperm, in a flow-free manner, to traverse a flow path in the fluidic system
i. through a horizontally-arranged filter in the filter chamber against gravity into a second chamber of the filter chamber, the second chamber positioned above a first chamber of the filter chamber and having an open outlet, and then
ii. out of the second chamber through the open outlet to exit the second chamber,
wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are separated by the filter, wherein the filter has micropores sized to permit a head of the sperm to pass therethrough, and wherein a percentage of motile sperm exiting the second chamber is greater than a percentage in the sample; and

C. harvesting sperm that have exited the second chamber to retrieve them from the fluidic system, wherein the harvested sperm comprise live, functional sperm from the sample suspended in a liquid.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the filter is located between the lower component and the upper component.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the inlet extends through a top surface of the lower component.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the micropores are at least 1 μm and less than μm in diameter.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the harvested sperm when retrieved from the fluidic system are collected into a container that is not attached to the fluidic system.

24. The method of claim 19 , wherein the harvested sperm when retrieved from the fluidic system are collected into a container that is not attached to the fluidic system.

25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising using the harvested sperm in an IVF or ICSI procedure.

26. The method of claim 19 , further comprising using the harvested sperm in an IVF or ICSI procedure.

27. The method of claim 19 , wherein the filter is located between the lower component and the upper component, and wherein the micropores are greater than 4.5 μm and less than 10 μm in diameter.

28. The method of claim 27 , further comprising using the harvested sperm in an IVF or ICSI procedure.

29. The method of claim 27 , wherein the harvested sperm when retrieved from the fluidic system are collected into a container that is not attached to the fluidic system.

30. The method of claim 19 , wherein at least 84.4% of the harvested sperm are motile.

Assignees

• Brigham & Womens Hospital Inc

Inventors

• Demirci Utkan
• Asghar Waseem

Classifications

• G01N15/10 Primary

  Investigating individual particles · CPC title

• B01L3/502753

  characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation · CPC title

• C12N5/061

  Sperm cells, spermatogonia · CPC title

• C12N5/0612

  sorting of gametes, e.g. according to sex or motility · CPC title

• G01N1/4005

  by transferring a selected component through a membrane · CPC title