Porous Membrane Sperm Separation for Transport-Resilient Motility Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional male fertility analysis methods require laboratory settings and strict time windows, leading to logistical challenges and reduced accuracy due to sperm motility loss during transport.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for remote pre-processing of male fertility samples using a chamber with a porous membrane to separate motile sperm, allowing for remote collection and transport of motile and non-motile sperm portions, enabling quantitative analysis at a testing facility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If quantitative semen analysis is performed in a laboratory setting with sample transport, then accurate evaluation can be achieved, but sperm motility is reduced during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary separation of motile sperm from the sample at the collection site using a porous membrane device before transport. This preliminary action ensures that only motile sperm are isolated and preserved in the collection device, eliminating the problem of motility loss during transport to the laboratory.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and separates the motile portion of sperm from the rest of the sample using a porous membrane that allows only motile sperm to pass through. This extraction creates a concentrated portion of motile sperm that can be transported and analyzed without the negative effects present in the full sample.
2Ease of operation
If at-home sample collection is allowed, then patient convenience and logistics are improved, but sample analysis accuracy decreases due to transport time
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables at-home collection with preliminary separation of motile sperm using the porous membrane device. The device is used at the collection site to isolate motile sperm before any transport occurs, maintaining measurement accuracy while providing the convenience of at-home sampling.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous membrane device acts as an intermediary between the sample collection and laboratory analysis. It performs the critical separation function at the collection site, creating a stable, concentrated portion of motile sperm that can withstand transport conditions while maintaining measurement accuracy.
3Adaptability or versatility
If microfluidics devices are used for at-home testing, then accessibility is improved, but quantitative information is lost due to small sample portion analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The device extracts and concentrates the motile portion of sperm from a small sample aliquot using the porous membrane. This extraction process maximizes the quantitative information obtained from the limited sample volume, providing accurate motility assessment even when analyzing only a small portion of the total sample.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the concentration parameter by separating and concentrating motile sperm in the porous membrane device. This parameter change transforms a dilute sample into a concentrated portion, maximizing the quantitative information available for analysis from the small sample volume used in at-home testing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides accurate, quantitative sperm motility assessment independent of transport time and conditions, improving logistical efficiency and accuracy by allowing at-home sample preparation and laboratory analysis.
Implementation Method 1
the porous membrane is configured to act as a migration path for a motile portion of an aliquot of a male fertility sample loaded into the chamber via the inlet to move into media loaded into the second portion
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for male fertility analysis may include: loading an aliquot of a male fertility sample into a chamber of an analysis system via an inlet, the chamber having an opening covered over by a porous membrane and a concave bottom opposite the opening; introducing media so that the membrane acts as a migration path for motile sperm; removing the media and a motile portion of the aliquot from the system into a container; sealing the container; and transporting the sealed container and a remainder of the male fertility sample to a testing facility. The testing facility may: determine a first concentration of the portion of the sample from the first container; determine a second concentration of the remainder; and estimate a percentage of total motile sperm for the sample based on the first concentration, the second concentration, and a predetermined relationship between portions and remainders of samples.