Patent ID: 7108966
Filing Date: 2006-09-19
Classification: B01L,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for assaying sperm motility in a forward direction and density of active sperm in a semen sample comprising (A) placing the sample in a sample reservoir, (B) allowing sperm in the sample to migrate from the sample reservoir into and along a microchannel that confines the sperm to single-direction movement within the channel toward a downstream collection region, where said microchannel has a known length, and said downstream collection region includes a collection reservoir with a known volume, and (C) measuring the rate of migration and the flux of sperm through the microchannel by the steps of (C1) measuring the change in concentration of cells present in the collection reservoir as a function of time, (C2) determining from step (C1), to the density of active sperm in said sample, and (C3) determine from step (C1), to the motility of sperm migrating through said microchannel in a forward direction.