Chung Yaokuang, Zhu Xiaoyue, Gu Wei, Smith Gary D, Takayama Shuichi
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
Methods Mol Biol. 2006;321:227-44. doi: 10.1385/1-59259-997-4:227.
This chapter describes the design and fabrication of a passively driven microfluidic sperm sorter using soft lithographic microfabrication techniques. This self-contained device can separate motile sperm from nonmotile sperm and other cellular debris. The sorting system is small (coin sized) and structurally simple. It comprises two inlets; two outlets; a sorting channel; and arrays of horizontally oriented reservoirs that function as passively driven, constant-flow-rate pumps. Sperm with higher motility are sorted out from the rest of the semen samples based on their ability to swim through interfaces between adjacent laminar streams into separate streamlines, whereas the nonmotile sperm and debris remain in their initial streamlines. The device, which we call a microscale integrated sperm sorter, does not rely on any external power sources or controllers and incorporates all sample loading and sorting functions necessary to prepare high-quality sperm for in vitro fertilization. This self-contained, inexpensive, and portable device may also be useful for developing convenient sperm motility assays that can be used at the point of care or at home.
本章介绍了一种采用软光刻微加工技术设计和制造的被动驱动微流控精子分选器。这种独立式装置能够将活动精子与不活动精子及其他细胞碎片分离。该分选系统体积小（硬币大小）且结构简单。它包括两个入口、两个出口、一个分选通道以及一系列水平排列的储液器，这些储液器起到被动驱动的恒流泵的作用。具有较高活力的精子能够通过相邻层流之间的界面游入不同的流线，从而从精液样本的其他部分中被分选出来，而不活动的精子和碎片则留在其初始流线中。我们将该装置称为微型集成精子分选器，它不依赖任何外部电源或控制器，并集成了为体外受精准备高质量精子所需的所有样本加载和分选功能。这种独立、廉价且便携的装置对于开发可在床边护理或家中使用的便捷精子活力检测方法可能也很有用。
