Fertility-Chip Point-of-Care Semen Analyzer using a Lab-on-a-Chip (07994)

Project nummer: 07994

Omschrijving van het onderzoek

We aim to develop a portable semen analyzer that can be used as a pre-screening test instrument at home. The instrument consists of a small measurement box for data storage equipped with disposable chips for the semen handling. The chips contain several inputs and outputs connected by liquid channels for the introduction and sorting of the semen, and various electrode pairs inside the channels for measurement purposes.
Research will be focused on the design of innovative PDMS chips for semen handling (e.g. biocompatibility, anti-clogging), development of multi-electrode conductivity measurement techniques and study on impedance spectroscopy in order to actually measure the semen quality parameters.
The project will be carried out in close cooperation with several companies, the patients' association Freya, a health insurance company and in collaboration with several regional clinical laboratories for the validation of the system.
Current methods for human semen research are labour-intensive because they mainly consist of manual handling and counting. The existing automated analyzers (IVOS, CEROS) are big and costly and can only be purchased by a few of the 100 clinical laboratories in the Netherlands. The use of such instrument would not only result in a reduced workload of the clinical laboratories and in a reduction of the yearly costs (the expected reduction is 50%) but also in a more patient-friendly treatment. In addition, the overall reliability will be improved because the gynaecologist gets more and better results for the diagnosis.
If this system turns out to be a success, it can also be used in the veterinary sector as a simple tool to check semen quality for artificial insemination at the farmer's location.

Gebruikers

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Projectleider

Prof.dr.ir. A. van den Berg
Universiteit Twente
MESA+ Research Institute for Nanotechnology
Postbus 217
7500 AE Enschede

Status van het project

startdatum:	01-11-2007
einddatum:	01-10-2010

Trefwoorden

diagnostics, fertility, lab on a chip, semen, semen analyser, vruchtbaarheid.

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