Thai
Thai
Thai
Thai
Thai
Thai
In infertility treatment, whether it is intrauterine insemination (IUI: Intrauterine Insemination) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI: Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), many people tend to focus primarily on “egg quality.” However, in reality, “sperm quality” is equally important and is another factor that affects the chance of treatment success.
Many people may understand that if the Semen Analysis results are within the normal range in terms of sperm count, motility, and morphology, this should be sufficient for pregnancy. However, in reality, sperm also have qualities that cannot be seen through standard testing, such as genetic material (DNA) integrity, which is a factor affecting fertilization, embryo development, as well as the chance of implantation and pregnancy.
For this reason, Microfluidic Sperm Sorting (MSS) technology has been introduced to select sperm before entering the treatment process. It uses a Microfluidic Chip designed to mimic the natural sperm selection process within the female reproductive system.
The principle of this technology is that sperm must swim through small channels inside the chip. This allows sperm that have good motility, are strong, and have normal morphology to pass through, while sperm with abnormal motility, abnormal morphology, or that are non-viable cannot pass through.
The result is a higher-quality group of sperm, both in terms of motility and structural integrity. In addition, it may help reduce DNA Fragmentation, which may have a positive effect on embryo quality and help increase the chance of successful treatment with IUI or ICSI in some patients.
The male partner provides a semen sample in a sterile container prepared by the laboratory. The scientists then conduct a preliminary assessment of the sample quality, such as sperm count, motility, and morphology, in order to plan the appropriate sample preparation.
The semen sample is prepared for the sperm selection process using the Microfluidic Chip. This technology helps reduce reliance on multiple centrifugation steps, which may increase Oxidative Stress and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) during sperm preparation.
The scientists introduce the sperm sample into micro-sized channels within the chip. These channels are designed to act as an environment for selecting sperm based on their motility.
Sperm with good motility are able to swim through the channels inside the chip toward the area used to collect the selected sperm. Meanwhile, sperm with poor motility, as well as some cells and cellular debris, are less likely to pass into the selection area.
Once the selection process is complete, the scientists collect the selected group of sperm. In principle, this group has a higher proportion of sperm with good motility and tends to have a lower level of DNA damage compared with the sample before selection. However, the results may vary from person to person.
The selected sperm are prepared for use in the treatment process according to the doctor’s treatment plan, such as IUI or ICSI. In the case of ICSI, the embryologist will select suitable sperm again for direct injection into the egg cell.
Sperm quality is not determined only by sperm count and motility, but also includes the integrity of genetic material, which may be related to fertilization and embryo development.
Inside the chip are small channels that help select sperm based on their ability to move. Healthy sperm with good motility can pass through the channels to the area used to collect the selected sample.
It helps select sperm with good motility and a tendency toward greater DNA integrity, while reducing exposure to centrifugation processes that may increase oxidative stress.
It is suitable for people with risk factors related to sperm quality, such as having a high DNA Fragmentation level, previous unsuccessful treatment with IUI or ICSI, a history of recurrent miscarriage, or factors that increase the risk of Oxidative Stress.
The selected sperm can be prepared for treatment with IUI or ICSI, particularly in ICSI, where only one suitable sperm needs to be selected for direct injection into the egg cell.
A Microfluidic Chip is a device designed with micro-sized channels for selecting sperm using the Microfluidic Sperm Sorting (MSS) technique. It relies on the natural ability of sperm to move through the channels inside the chip instead of using Centrifugation, which has long been used as a method for sperm preparation.
The advantage of this technology is that it helps select healthy sperm with good motility without exposing them to centrifugal forces that may affect sperm cells. Multiple centrifugation steps may increase the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which may damage the cell membrane and increase damage to the genetic material (DNA) of sperm.
The Microfluidic Chip was therefore developed to reduce the effects of these steps, help preserve sperm quality during sample preparation, and increase the chance of selecting sperm with greater integrity before entering the infertility treatment process.
The principle of the Microfluidic Chip is to use small channels inside the chip as a system for naturally selecting sperm. Healthy sperm with good motility (High Motility) and normal morphology (Normal Morphology) can swim through these channels, while sperm with abnormal motility, abnormal morphology, or that are non-viable cannot pass through.
Through this selection process, it helps obtain higher-quality sperm and tends to result in sperm with lower genetic material damage (DNA Fragmentation). This is an important factor in fertilization, embryo development, and the chance of pregnancy.
Sperm selected using a Microfluidic Chip are therefore suitable for use in infertility treatment processes, such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Traditional standard sperm preparation generally relies on centrifugation to separate sperm from semen and other cells before using them for treatment. Although this method is effective, multiple centrifugation steps may increase the production of Reactive Oxygen Species, which may affect the cell membrane and increase damage to the genetic material (DNA integrity) in sperm.
Microfluidic Chip technology was therefore developed to address these limitations. Instead of relying on centrifugation, it uses the principle of selecting sperm based on their natural ability to move through small channels inside the chip. These channels mimic the environment of the female reproductive system more closely to natural conditions.
The resulting process not only helps reduce cellular stress, but also helps protect sperm from genetic material damage during sample preparation. This results in a group of sperm with higher quality and greater DNA integrity, which may affect the chance of successful treatment.
The Microfluidic Chip is a technology that helps select sperm more efficiently, with several advantages in both sperm preparation and outcomes that may support the success of infertility treatment, as follows:
The Microfluidic Chip is considered an option suitable for people with risk factors related to sperm quality, such as:
Microfluidic Chip technology is an innovation that helps improve the efficiency of sperm selection before entering the infertility treatment process. It uses the principle of mimicking natural sperm selection to separate sperm with good motility and greater genetic material integrity, resulting in sperm of suitable quality for use in intrauterine insemination (IUI) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
In ICSI, the embryologist needs to select only one sperm to inject directly into the egg cell. Therefore, having selected, high-quality sperm from the beginning helps make it possible to choose sperm with greater potential and suitability for fertilization.
The Microfluidic Chip is therefore another technology that supports this step by helping select sperm with good motility and greater genetic material integrity before entering the treatment process. In addition, this technology can also be used to prepare sperm for intrauterine insemination (IUI) to help improve the quality of the sperm sample used for treatment.
Selecting high-quality sperm is another important step in infertility treatment because, in addition to sperm count and motility, the integrity of genetic material is also a factor that affects fertilization, embryo development, and treatment outcomes.
For people with sperm quality problems, high DNA Fragmentation, or previous unsuccessful infertility treatment, using a Microfluidic Chip may be another option that helps select higher-quality sperm before entering the treatment process, whether intrauterine insemination (IUI) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
It is suitable for people with sperm quality problems, those with a high DNA Fragmentation level, those with a history of unsuccessful treatment, or cases where a doctor considers that using this technology may help support the efficiency of sperm selection before treatment. Individual assessment by a specialist is recommended.
The Microfluidic Chip is a technology used during the preparation and selection of sperm before they are used in assisted reproductive technology treatments. It can be used together with both ICSI and IUI, as appropriate and at the discretion of the doctor.
This technology plays a role in selecting high-quality sperm from a semen sample in order to obtain sperm that are more suitable for use in IUI or ICSI treatment processes. Therefore, it cannot treat abnormalities of the sperm itself.
It helps select sperm with low genetic material damage (Low DNA Fragmentation), resulting in sperm with greater genetic material integrity, which is an important factor for fertilization, embryo development, and the chance of successful IVF (ICSI).