BioMEMS Resource Center, The Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
Lab Chip. 2018 Dec 4;18(24):3892-3902. doi: 10.1039/c8lc01075g.
Human infertility can be treated using assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). But current ART techniques suffer from multiple cumbersome processes requiring technically skilled personnel. Microfluidics technologies offer unique opportunities to streamline ART procedures, reduce stress imposed upon gametes and embryos, and minimize the operator-to-operator variability. However, there have been no automated and continuous processing systems that can reduce the dependence on well-trained embryologists to obtain ICSI-ready oocytes from patients. In this study, using mouse models, we developed a microfluidic device to denude oocytes from the surrounding cumulus-corona cell mass, facilitating the evaluation of oocyte quality and the injection of sperm. Enzyme-treated cumulus-oocyte complexes pass through a series of jagged-surface constriction microchannels of optimized geometries. The jagged inner wall of constriction channels facilitates stripping off of the cumulus-corona cell mass. Oocytes that were denuded by the device showed comparable fertilization and developmental competence compared with mechanical pipetting. The device developed in this study achieves the automation of a manual process for oocyte denudation in a continuous flow, as well as improving standardization and ease-of-use. Our denudation-on-a-chip approach requires inexpensive and simple equipment, which represents one step forward towards improving the accessibility and affordability of assisted reproductive therapy.
人类不孕不育可以通过辅助生殖技术（ART）来治疗，如胞浆内单精子注射（ICSI）。但目前的 ART 技术存在多个繁琐的步骤，需要技术熟练的人员操作。微流控技术为简化 ART 程序、减轻配子和胚胎的压力以及最小化操作人员之间的差异提供了独特的机会。然而，目前还没有自动化和连续处理系统能够减少对经过良好培训的胚胎学家的依赖，从而从患者中获得适合 ICSI 的卵母细胞。在这项研究中，我们使用小鼠模型开发了一种微流控装置，用于从周围的卵丘-卵母细胞复合物中去除卵母细胞，从而便于评估卵母细胞的质量和注射精子。经过酶处理的卵丘-卵母细胞复合物通过一系列优化几何形状的锯齿状表面收缩微通道。收缩通道的锯齿状内壁有助于去除卵丘-卵母细胞复合物。与机械移液相比，该装置去除的卵母细胞具有相似的受精和发育能力。本研究中开发的装置实现了卵母细胞去卵丘过程的自动化和连续流动，提高了标准化和易用性。我们的微流控去卵丘方法所需的设备廉价且简单，这是朝着提高辅助生殖治疗的可及性和可负担性迈出的一步。
