Scientists in Australia have developed new technology to help couples undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) due to male fertility problems to increase their chances of success in having a baby.

“Male infertility plays a role in around 30% of cases, due to problems such as low sperm count, reduced motility or movement or poor sperm quality,” says Professor Majid Warkiani from the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney.

“While much work has been done around selecting eggs and embryos to boost the success rates of IVF, sperm selection, an essential component in assisted reproduction, is by far the most neglected step in regard to technological innovation,” he says.

To tackle this problem, researchers have created and tested a new microfluidic sperm selection device that provides a more reliable process for selecting high-quality sperm.

“This new technology is a 3D printed, biologically inspired microfluidic sperm selection device, which replicates the female reproductive tract and the natural sperm selection process, where only a small percentage of total sperm reach the egg,” Warkiani said.

“We conducted extensive testing against conventional IVF selection methods, with the new method showing an 85% improvement in DNA integrity and an average 90% reduction in sperm cell death. The sperm selected by our method also demonstrated better recovery after freezing than traditional methods,” he said.

The study results were recently published in Nature: Microsystems & Nanoengineering.