A Novel Rheotaxis-based Microfluidic Device for Selecting Sperm from Semen Infected with Viruses

Prolonged exposure of spermatozoa to seminal plasma has been found to have adverse effects on sperm function such as motility and vitality. Recent studies have shown that the presence of HIV, hepatitis B (HBV) or Zika virus (ZIKV) in semen impairs sperm parameters and in particular reduces motility. These viral infections are considered as a negative effect on male reproductive function and infection can be transmitted to the partners and newbornes. Sperm washing process, which is the standard procedure in infertility treatment, is a form of sperm preparation that is required prior to intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF), because it removes chemicals from the semen, which may cause adverse reactions in the uterus. Moreover, sperm washing process is increasingly essential to decrease the risk of virus transmission before using it for IUI or IVF. The objective of this study is to show that the presented rehotaxis-based microfluidic device is capable of washing out the sperm cells during the process of selecting healthy sperm for assisted reproductive technology (ART). We demonstrate that sperm selected and washed with this device at a specific flow rate does not contain any viruses.