Patent ID: 6929945

Claim:
A device for assaying sperm motility and density of motile sperm in a semen sample comprising a microfluidics structure having a sample reservoir, a downstream collection region and a microchannel extending therebetween, said microchannel being dimensioned to confine sample sperm to single-direction movement within the channel, such that sperm in a semen sample placed in the sample reservoir enter and migrate along said microchannel toward and into said collection region, a detector positioned for detecting the presence of sperm at a detection zone in said microchannel or in a collection region, and an electronics unit operatively connected to said detector for (i) receiving detector signals, (ii) based on the detector signals received, determining information related to sperm motility and density in the sperm sample, and (iii) displaying such information related to sperm motility and density, wherein (a) if the detector is positioned to detect the presence of sperm in said collection region, the electronics units operates to (1) measure the change in concentration of cells present in the collection reservoir as a function of time, (2) determine from step (1), information related to the density of active sperm in said sample, and (3) determine from step (1), information related to the motility of sperm migrating through said micro channel in a forward direction; and (b) if the detector is positioned to detect the presence of sperm at a detection zone in said microchannel, the electronics unit operates to (1) detect individual sperm as they migrate through said zone in the microchannel, in an upstream to downstream direction, (2) count the number of sperm that migrate through the detection zone, and (3) determine the rate of migration of individual sperm through said detection zone.