DEVELOPMENT OF FLOW-THROUGH PERFUSION CHAMBERS IN THE STUDY OF SPERM MITOCHONDRIAL METABOLISM AND FERTILIZATION COMPETENCE

Abstract

Sperm are small, motile cells which are hard to capture and study effectively. The consequence of research into these elusive cells could be one of the keys to unlock the answer behind the driving forces of fertility, and to create better methods of sperm selection for In-Vito Fertilization (IVF) procedure. To effectively study the movement of both individuals and populations of sperm cells low cost and effective flow-through perfusion chambers must be created for the volume and specificity of experiments. Using multiple iterations with continuous quality improvements, perfusion chambers showed promising results to continue the work of studying mitochondrial metabolism and fertilization competence. The different iterations of the perfusion chamber are presented chronologically, and their drawbacks are discussed until a final form is displayed as a suitable method for experimentation. The chambers work by allowing sperm to explore the space free from external influence and collect in a collecting part of the chamber having experienced selective pressure based on distance and time. Microscopy was used to take pictures and videos of the cells which can be used to extrapolate data about their distribution of phenotypes.