New Test To Help Men With Infertility Problems

15.02.2012

In recent decades many technologies have been developed, such as in vitro fertilization, that help people conceive a child much more successfully.
New advances are made all the time, and some recent research is bringing even more hope to people who struggle with infertility.
On the male side, an exciting new method is a fertility chip, developed at the University of Twente in The Netherlands. The fertility chip, created by researcher Loes Segerink, can accurately count sperm as well as measure their mobility - meaning that a home sperm-count testing device could soon be available, making it possible for men to test their sperm in privacy and a familiar environment.
The costs for health insurers can also be decreased.
A sperm analysis is typically the first step of fertility research, but until now testing sperm quality has required stringent pre-test preparations and a specialized laboratory.
Tests often have to be repeated two to five times for sufficient reliability. If men can carry out the tests in the privacy of their own home, the procedure is less intimidating and awkward, and scientists believe that the probability of a reliable diagnosis would also be increased.
While there are some simple home sperm tests available on the market currently, they are limited because they simply indicate whether a man's sperm count is above or below the norm; they do not actually measure the concentration of spermatozoa.
The chip developed by Segerink can accurately count spermatozoa per milliliter of ejaculate, by flowing the spermatozoa through a fluid channel above which electrodes are fitted. When the cells flow under this electronic "bridge," their electrical resistance is changed momentarily which allows them to be counted.
The method can also distinguish between spermatozoa and other cells or particles in the fluid, for a highly accurate count.
Concentration is not the only indicator of sperm quality, however. How active the sperm are also plays a major role - this spontaneous activity is called motility. Segerink and her team suggest further research to determine whether motility, as well as shape, can also be accurately measured with the fertility chip.
Segerink believes that a small adjustment to the chip is all that is needed to sort motile sperm from non-motile sperm, to offer a truly complete test.
In 2011, Segerink received a Valorisation Grant, as a first step towards establishing a company. This will provide her with a platform for refining the fertility chip and its accompanying read-out device into a market-ready product.

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