Micro-Fluidic Device for Selective Sorting of Highly Motile and Morphologically Normal Sperm From Unprocessed Semen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023242872-A1
Application number	US-202318114022-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 24, 2023
Priority date	Jan 22, 2016
Publication date	Aug 3, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

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.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A device for self-sorting motile, morphologically-normal sperm cells with high DNA integrity from raw or unprocessed semen, comprising:
a fluidic channel with an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end, wherein an array of pillar-structures is periodically spaced inside the fluidic channel, wherein the spacing between adjacent pillar-structures ranges from one micrometer to 250 micrometers, wherein the inlet is used for induction of the raw or unprocessed semen to the fluidic channel, wherein the outlet is used for collection of sorted sperm cells from the fluidic channel, wherein the sorted sperm cells have been self-sorted by their own self-induced movements within the fluidic channel through their interactions with the periodically spaced array of pillar-structures, wherein the device and the self-sorting operates without the use of any external flow, forces or mechanisms to feed the raw or unprocessed semen through the fluidic channel, and wherein the self-sorting outputs in the outlet the motile, morphologically-normal sperm cells with high DNA integrity compared to the raw or unprocessed semen.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a length of the fluidic channel ranges from 4 mm to 20 mm, and wherein a height of the pillar-structures ranges from 20 μm to 80 μm.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the spacing between adjacent pillar-structures ranges from 5 μm to 200 μm.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the spacing between adjacent pillar-structures ranges from 5 μm to 30 μm.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the spacing between adjacent pillar-structures ranges from 18 μm to 30 μm.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the length of the fluidic channel ranges from 12 mm to 20 mm.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the width of the fluidic channel is 1.5 mm.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the array of pillar-structures has a periodicity of 18×26 μm, 22×22 μm, 22×26 μm, 26×26 μm or 30×26 μm.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the spacing between adjacent pillar-structures ranges from 18 μm to 30 μm in a first direction.

10 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the spacing between the adjacent pillar-structures ranges from 22 μm to 26 μm in a second direction.

Assignees

• Univ Leland Stanford Junior
• Worcester Polytech Inst

Inventors

• Demirci Utkan
• Tüzel Erkan
• Kingsley James Leonard
• Chinnasamy Thiruppathiraja

Classifications

• C12N5/0612 Primary

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

• B01L3/502746 Primary

  characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles or throttle valves · CPC title

• B01L3/502761

  specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules · CPC title

• C12M47/04

  Cell isolation or sorting (purging biological preparations of unwanted cells C12N5/0081, determining the presence or kind of microorganism C12Q1/04) · CPC title

• C12N5/061

  Sperm cells, spermatogonia · CPC title