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Wang S, Chen L, Fang J, Sun H. A compact, high-throughput semi-automated embryo vitrification system based on hydrogel. Reprod Biomed Online 2024; 48:103769. [PMID: 38492415 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2023.103769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION What is the efficiency and efficacy of the novel Biorocks semi-automated vitrification system, which is based on a hydrogel? DESIGN This comparative experimental laboratory study used mouse model and human day 6 blastocysts. Mouse oocytes and embryos were quality assessed post-vitrification. RESULTS The Biorocks system successfully automated the solution exchanges during the vitrification process, achieving a significantly improved throughput of up to 36 embryos/oocytes per hour. Using hydrogel for cryoprotective agent delivery, 12 vessels could be processed simultaneously, fitting comfortably within an assisted reproductive technology (ART) workstation. In tests involving the cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos, the system yielded outcomes equivalent to the manual Cryotop method. For example, the survival rate for mouse oocytes was 98% with the Biorocks vitrification system (n = 46) and 95% for the manual Cryotop method (n = 39), of which 46% and 41%, respectively, progressed to blastocysts on day 5 after IVF. CC-grade day 6 human blastocysts processed with the Biorocks system (n = 39) were associated with a 92% 2 h re-expansion rate, equivalent to the 90% with Cryotop (n = 30). The cooling/warming rates achieved by the Biorocks system were 31,900°C/minute and 24,700°C/minute, respectively. Oocyte quality was comparable or better post-vitrification for Biorocks than Cryotop. CONCLUSIONS The Biorocks semi-automated vitrification system offers enhanced throughput without compromising the survival and developmental potential of oocytes and embryos. This innovative system may help to increase the efficiency and standardization of vitrification in ART clinics. Further investigations are needed to confirm its efficacy in a broader clinical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Wang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.; Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Lei Chen
- Center for Reproductive Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.; Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Junshun Fang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.; Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Haixiang Sun
- Center for Reproductive Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.; Center for Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, PR China..
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McLennan HJ, Heinrich SL, Inge MP, Wallace SJ, Blanch AJ, Hails L, O'Connor JP, Waite MB, McIlfatrick S, Nottle MB, Dunning KR, Gardner DK, Thompson JG, Love AK. A micro-fabricated device (microICSI) improves porcine blastocyst development and procedural efficiency for both porcine intracytoplasmic sperm injection and human microinjection. J Assist Reprod Genet 2024; 41:297-309. [PMID: 38236552 PMCID: PMC10894805 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-023-03018-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) imparts physical stress on the oolemma of the oocyte and remains among the most technically demanding skills to master, with success rates related to experience and expertise. ICSI is also time-consuming and requires workflow management in the laboratory. This study presents a device designed to reduce the pressure on the oocyte during injection and investigates if this improves embryo development in a porcine model. The impact of this device on laboratory workflow was also assessed. METHODS Porcine oocytes were matured in vitro and injected with porcine sperm by conventional ICSI (C-ICSI) or with microICSI, an ICSI dish that supports up to 20 oocytes housed individually in microwells created through microfabrication. Data collected included set-up time, time to align the polar body, time to perform the injection, the number of hand adjustments between controllers, and degree of invagination at injection. Developmental parameters measured included cleavage and day 6 blastocyst rates. Blastocysts were differentially stained to assess cell numbers of the inner cell mass and trophectoderm. A pilot study with human donated MII oocytes injected with beads was also performed. RESULTS A significant increase in porcine blastocyst rate for microICSI compared to C-ICSI was observed, while cleavage rates and blastocyst cell numbers were comparable between treatments. Procedural efficiency of microinjection was significantly improved with microICSI compared to C-ICSI in both species. CONCLUSION The microICSI device demonstrated significant developmental and procedural benefits for porcine ICSI. A pilot study suggests human ICSI should benefit equally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna J McLennan
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
| | - Shauna L Heinrich
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Megan P Inge
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Samuel J Wallace
- Virtual Ark Pty Ltd, 73 Woolnough Road, Semaphore, SA, 5019, Australia
| | - Adam J Blanch
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Llewelyn Hails
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - John P O'Connor
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Michael B Waite
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Stephen McIlfatrick
- School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Mark B Nottle
- School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Kylie R Dunning
- School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - David K Gardner
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Melbourne IVF, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Jeremy G Thompson
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
- Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
- ART Lab Solutions Pty Ltd, 10 Pulteney Street, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
| | - Allison K Love
- Fertilis Pty Ltd, Frome Road, Helen Mayo South, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
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Palmer GA, Tomkin G, Martín-Alcalá HE, Mendizabal-Ruiz G, Cohen J. The Internet of Things in assisted reproduction. Reprod Biomed Online 2023; 47:103338. [PMID: 37757612 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2023.103338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network connecting physical objects with sensors, software and internet connectivity for data exchange. Integrating the IoT with medical devices shows promise in healthcare, particularly in IVF laboratories. By leveraging telecommunications, cybersecurity, data management and intelligent systems, the IoT can enable a data-driven laboratory with automation, improved conditions, personalized treatment and efficient workflows. The integration of 5G technology ensures fast and reliable connectivity for real-time data transmission, while blockchain technology secures patient data. Fog computing reduces latency and enables real-time analytics. Microelectromechanical systems enable wearable IoT and miniaturized monitoring devices for tracking IVF processes. However, challenges such as security risks and network issues must be addressed through cybersecurity measures and networking advancements. Clinical embryologists should maintain their expertise and knowledge for safety and oversight, even with IoT in the IVF laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giles A Palmer
- IVF2.0 Ltd, London, UK; International IVF Initiative, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Gerardo Mendizabal-Ruiz
- Conceivable Life Sciences, New York, New York, USA; Departamento de Bioingeniería Traslacional, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | - Jacques Cohen
- IVF2.0 Ltd, London, UK; International IVF Initiative, New York, New York, USA; Althea Science Inc, New York, New York, USA; Conceivable Life Sciences, New York, New York, USA.
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4
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Costa-Borges N, Munné S, Albó E, Mas S, Castelló C, Giralt G, Lu Z, Chau C, Acacio M, Mestres E, Matia Q, Marquès L, Rius M, Márquez C, Vanrell I, Pujol A, Mataró D, Seth-Smith M, Mollinedo L, Calderón G, Zhang J. First babies conceived with Automated Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. Reprod Biomed Online 2023; 47:103237. [PMID: 37400320 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2023.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION Can an automated sperm injection robot perform Automated Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSIA) for use in human IVF? DESIGN The ICSIA robot automated the sperm injection procedure, including injection pipette advancement, zona pellucida and oolemma penetration with piezo pulses, and pipette removal after sperm release. The robot was first tested in mouse, hamster and rabbit oocytes, and subsequently using discarded human oocytes injected with microbeads. A small clinical pilot trial was conducted with donor oocytes to study the feasibility of the robot in a clinical setting. The ICSIA robot was controlled by engineers with no micromanipulation experience. Results were compared with those obtained with manual ICSI conducted by experienced embryologists. RESULTS The ICSIA robot demonstrated similar results to the manual procedure in the different animal models tested as well as in the pre-clinical validations conducted in discarded human oocytes. In the clinical validation, 13 out of 14 oocytes injected with ICSIA fertilized correctly versus 16 out of 18 in the manual control; eight developed into good-quality blastocysts versus 12 in the manual control; and four were diagnosed as chromosomally normal versus 10 euploid in the manual control. Three euploid blastocysts from the ICSIA robot group have been transferred into two recipients, which resulted in two singleton pregnancies and two babies born. CONCLUSIONS The ICSIA robot showed high proficiency in injecting animal and human oocytes when operated by inexperienced personnel. The preliminary results obtained in this first clinical pilot trial are within key performance indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Zhuo Lu
- New Hope Fertility Center, NY, USA
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Alikani M. The success of ICSIA and the tough road to automation. Reprod Biomed Online 2023; 47:103244. [PMID: 37419763 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2023.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
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Abdullah KAL, Atazhanova T, Chavez-Badiola A, Shivhare SB. Automation in ART: Paving the Way for the Future of Infertility Treatment. Reprod Sci 2023; 30:1006-1016. [PMID: 35922741 PMCID: PMC10160149 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-022-00941-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is estimated to account for the birth of more than nine million babies worldwide, perhaps making it one of the most intriguing as well as commoditised and industrialised modern medical interventions. Nevertheless, most IVF procedures are currently limited by accessibility, affordability and most importantly multistep, labour-intensive, technically challenging processes undertaken by skilled professionals. Therefore, in order to sustain the exponential demand for IVF on one hand, and streamline existing processes on the other, innovation is essential. This may not only effectively manage clinical time but also reduce cost, thereby increasing accessibility, affordability and efficiency. Recent years have seen a diverse range of technologies, some integrated with artificial intelligence, throughout the IVF pathway, which promise personalisation and, at least, partial automation in the not-so-distant future. This review aims to summarise the rapidly evolving state of these innovations in automation, with or without the integration of artificial intelligence, encompassing the patient treatment pathway, gamete/embryo selection, endometrial evaluation and cryopreservation of gametes/embryos. Additionally, it shall highlight the resulting prospective change in the role of IVF professionals and challenges of implementation of some of these technologies, thereby aiming to motivate continued research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadrina Abdul Latif Abdullah
- Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Level 3, Women's Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, England
| | - Tomiris Atazhanova
- Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Level 3, Women's Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, England
| | | | - Sourima Biswas Shivhare
- TFP Simply Fertility, W Hanningfield Rd, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 8HN, England.
- The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health, London, UK.
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Jiang VS, Kartik D, Thirumalaraju P, Kandula H, Kanakasabapathy MK, Souter I, Dimitriadis I, Bormann CL, Shafiee H. Advancements in the future of automating micromanipulation techniques in the IVF laboratory using deep convolutional neural networks. J Assist Reprod Genet 2023; 40:251-257. [PMID: 36586006 PMCID: PMC9935764 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-022-02685-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine if deep learning artificial intelligence algorithms can be used to accurately identify key morphologic landmarks on oocytes and cleavage stage embryo images for micromanipulation procedures such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or assisted hatching (AH). METHODS Two convolutional neural network (CNN) models were trained, validated, and tested over three replicates to identify key morphologic landmarks used to guide embryologists when performing micromanipulation procedures. The first model (CNN-ICSI) was trained (n = 13,992), validated (n = 1920), and tested (n = 3900) to identify the optimal location for ICSI through polar body identification. The second model (CNN-AH) was trained (n = 13,908), validated (n = 1908), and tested (n = 3888) to identify the optimal location for AH on the zona pellucida that maximizes distance from healthy blastomeres. RESULTS The CNN-ICSI model accurately identified the polar body and corresponding optimal ICSI location with 98.9% accuracy (95% CI 98.5-99.2%) with a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) with micro and macro area under the curves (AUC) of 1. The CNN-AH model accurately identified the optimal AH location with 99.41% accuracy (95% CI 99.11-99.62%) with a ROC with micro and macro AUCs of 1. CONCLUSION Deep CNN models demonstrate powerful potential in accurately identifying key landmarks on oocytes and cleavage stage embryos for micromanipulation. These findings are novel, essential stepping stones in the automation of micromanipulation procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria S Jiang
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Suite 10A, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Deeksha Kartik
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Division of Renal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Prudhvi Thirumalaraju
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Division of Renal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Hemanth Kandula
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Division of Renal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Manoj Kumar Kanakasabapathy
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Division of Renal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Irene Souter
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Suite 10A, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Irene Dimitriadis
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Suite 10A, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Charles L Bormann
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Suite 10A, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
| | - Hadi Shafiee
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Division of Renal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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Wang Z, Chen X, Tian J, Wei J, Hu Y. Noncontact Manipulation of Intracellular Structure Based on Focused Surface Acoustic Waves. Anal Chem 2023; 95:827-835. [PMID: 36594897 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Cell orientation is essential in many applications in biology, medicine, and chemistry, such as cellular injection, intracellular biopsy, and genetic screening. However, the manual cell orientation technique is a trial-and-error approach, which suffers from low efficiency and low accuracy. Although several techniques have improved these issues to a certain extent, they still face problems deforming or disrupting cell membranes, physical damage to the intracellular structure, and limited particle size. This study proposes a noncontact and noninvasive cell orientation method that rotates a cell using surface acoustic waves (SAWs). To realize the acoustic cell orientation process, we have fabricated a microdevice consisting of two pairs of focused interdigital transducers (FIDTs). Instead of rotating the entire cell, the proposed method rotates the intracellular structure, the cytoplasm, directly through the cell membrane by acoustic force. We have tested the rotational manipulation process on 30 zebrafish embryos. The system was able to orientate a cell to a target orientation with a one-time success rate of 93%. Furthermore, the postoperation survival rate was 100%. Our acoustic rotational manipulation technique is noninvasive and easy to use, which provides a starting point for cell-manipulation-essential tasks, such as single-cell analysis, organism studies, and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zenan Wang
- Center for Cognitive Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Guangdong518055, China
| | - Xiaotong Chen
- Center for Cognitive Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Guangdong518055, China.,School of Electrical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan250022, Shandong, China
| | - Jun Tian
- Center for Cognitive Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Guangdong518055, China.,School of Electrical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan250022, Shandong, China
| | - Jun Wei
- School of Electrical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan250022, Shandong, China
| | - Ying Hu
- Center for Cognitive Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Guangdong518055, China
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Singh K, Dewani D. Recent Advancements in In Vitro Fertilisation. Cureus 2022; 14:e30116. [DOI: 10.7759/cureus.30116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Zhai R, Shan G, Dai C, Hao M, Zhu J, Ru C, Sun Y. Automated Denudation of Oocytes. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:1301. [PMID: 36014223 PMCID: PMC9414171 DOI: 10.3390/mi13081301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Denudation is a technique for removal of the cumulus cell mass from oocytes in clinical intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Manual oocyte denudation requires long training hours and stringent skills, but still suffers from low yield rate and denudation efficiency due to human fatigue and skill variations across operators. To address these limitations, this paper reports a robotic system for automated oocyte denudation. In this system, several key techniques are proposed, including a vision-based contact detection method for measuring the relative z position between the micropipette tip and the dish substrate, recognition of oocytes and the surrounding cumulus cells, automated calibration algorithm for eliminating the misalignment angle, and automated control of the flow rate based on the model of oocyte dynamics during micropipette aspiration and deposition. Experiments on mouse oocytes demonstrated that the robotic denudation system achieved a high yield rate of 97.0 ± 2.8% and denudation efficiency of 95.0 ± 0.8%. Additionally, oocytes denuded by the robotic system showed comparable fertilization rate and developmental competence compared with manual denudation. Our robotic denudation system represents one step towards the automation and standardization of ICSI procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongan Zhai
- School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Guanqiao Shan
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Changsheng Dai
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Miao Hao
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Research Center of Robotics and Micro Systems, Soochow University, Suzhou 215021, China
| | - Junhui Zhu
- School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Changhai Ru
- School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Yu Sun
- School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada
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Olatunji O, More A. A Review of the Impact of Microfluidics Technology on Sperm Selection Technique. Cureus 2022; 14:e27369. [PMID: 36046322 PMCID: PMC9419845 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.27369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm sorting procedures depend on centrifugation processes. These processes produce oxidative stress and cell damage that are undesirable for in-vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcomes because they affect fertilization and implantation chances. The microfluidic sperm selection technique has shown promise in this area. It can create a platform for isolating and manipulating good-quality sperm cells using diverse triggers such as mechanical factors, chemical agents, and temperature gradients. Furthermore, microfluidic platforms can direct sperm cells for IVF or sperm sorting by utilizing an approach that is passive or active. In this review, we explain the use of microfluidics technologies for sorting and arranging sperm cells for different purposes. We also discuss the use of microfluidics technology in selecting and assessing sperm parameters and how it affects male infertility.
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Fabrication on the microscale: a two-photon polymerized device for oocyte microinjection. J Assist Reprod Genet 2022; 39:1503-1513. [PMID: 35552947 PMCID: PMC9365896 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-022-02485-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) addresses male sub-fertility by injecting a spermatozoon into the oocyte. This challenging procedure requires the use of dual micromanipulators, with success influenced by inter-operator expertise. We hypothesized that minimizing oocyte handling during ICSI will simplify the procedure. To address this, we designed and fabricated a micrometer scale device that houses the oocyte and requires only one micromanipulator for microinjection. Methods The device consisted of 2 components, each of sub-cubic millimeter volume: a Pod and a Garage. These were fabricated using 2-photon polymerization. Toxicity was evaluated by culturing single-mouse presumptive zygotes (PZs) to the blastocyst stage within a Pod, with several Pods (and embryos) docked in a Garage. The development was compared to standard culture. The level of DNA damage/repair in resultant blastocysts was quantified (γH2A.X immunohistochemistry). To demonstrate the capability to carry out ICSI within the device, PZs were microinjected with 4-μm fluorescent microspheres and cultured to the blastocyst stage. Finally, the device was assessed for oocyte traceability and high-throughput microinjection capabilities and compared to standard microinjection practice using key parameters (pipette setup, holding then injecting oocytes). Results Compared to standard culture, embryo culture within Pods and a Garage showed no differences in development to the blastocyst stage or levels of DNA damage in resultant blastocysts. Furthermore, microinjection within our device removes the need for a holding pipette, improves traceability, and facilitates high-throughput microinjection. Conclusion This novel device could improve embryo production following ICSI by simplifying the procedure and thus decreasing inter-operator variability. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10815-022-02485-1.
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13
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Oocyte Penetration Speed Optimization Based on Intracellular Strain. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13020309. [PMID: 35208433 PMCID: PMC8875814 DOI: 10.3390/mi13020309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Oocyte penetration is an essential step for many biological technologies, such as animal cloning, embryo microinjection, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Although the success rate of robotic cell penetration is very high now, the development potential of oocytes after penetration has not been significantly improved compared with manual operation. In this paper, we optimized the oocyte penetration speed based on the intracellular strain. We firstly analyzed the intracellular strain at different penetration speeds and performed the penetration experiments on porcine oocytes. Secondly, we studied the cell development potential after penetration at different penetration speeds. The statistical results showed that the percentage of large intracellular strain decreased by 80% and the maximum and average intracellular strain decreased by 25–38% at the penetration speed of 50 μm/s compared to at 10 μm/s. Experiment results showed that the cleavage rates of the oocytes after penetration increased from 65.56% to 86.36%, as the penetration speed increased from 10 to 50 μm/s. Finally, we verified the gene expression of oocytes after penetration at different speeds. The experimental results showed that the totipotency and antiapoptotic genes of oocytes were significantly higher after penetration at the speed of 50 μm/s, which verified the effectiveness of the optimization method at the gene level.
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Abstract
Increased demand for in vitro fertilization (IVF) due to socio-demographic trends, and supply facilitated by new technologies, converged to transform the way a substantial proportion of humans reproduce. The purpose of this article is to describe the societal and demographic trends driving increased worldwide demand for IVF, as well as to provide an overview of emerging technologies that promise to greatly expand IVF utilization and lower its cost.
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Zhuang S, Dai C, Shan G, Ru C, Zhang Z, Sun Y. Robotic Rotational Positioning of End-Effectors for Micromanipulation. IEEE T ROBOT 2022. [DOI: 10.1109/tro.2022.3142671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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16
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Gardner DK. 'The way to improve ART outcomes is to introduce more technologies in the laboratory'. Reprod Biomed Online 2021; 44:389-392. [PMID: 34911663 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2021.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
To address the proposition that 'the way to improve ART outcomes is through the introduction of more technologies in the laboratory', it is prudent to first define what is considered to be improved outcomes. Evidently, this equates to an increase in the live birth rate but it should also include parameters such as time to pregnancy, cumulative pregnancy per oocyte retrieval and health of the resultant child. Furthermore, being able to maintain clinical results week in, week out through quality management also contributes to the overall success of a clinic, and hence can be considered an improved outcome. With regards to these outcomes, it is offered that not only does the introduction of several new technologies (defined here as instrumentation, techniques and enhanced computer utilization and analysis) have the potential to improve outcomes, but also some of them have the capacity to facilitate automation and standardization in the ART laboratory. Although the automation of procedures can be perceived as a justifiable goal itself, in this contribution the emphasis is on how new technologies could help more patients become parents of healthy children in the shortest possible time.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K Gardner
- Melbourne IVF and School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Australia.
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Bori L, Meseguer M. Will the introduction of automated ART laboratory systems render the majority of embryologists redundant? Reprod Biomed Online 2021; 43:979-981. [PMID: 34753681 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
IVF techniques have changed over time with the aim of improving clinical results. Today, embryology is facing a change common to most areas of medicine, the introduction of automation. The use of automated systems in the IVF laboratory is already happening, for example, with electronic witnessing and the ranking of embryos according to their implantation potential. It is expected that in the near future, various systems in the IVF laboratory will be automated. In this way, gamete manipulation would cease to be manual and embryo culture and selection would be performed by means of microfluidics and artificial intelligence. Therefore, the tasks of the embryologist will inevitably be reduced. However, new functions related to data capture, management and analysis will emerge, along with other research skills and increased communication with other professionals and patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Bori
- IVIRMA Valencia, Spain; IVI Foundation, Valencia, Spain
| | - Marcos Meseguer
- IVIRMA Valencia, Spain; IVI Foundation, Valencia, Spain; Health Research Institute la Fe, Valencia, Spain.
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18
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In vitro fertilization and andrology laboratory in 2030: expert visions. Fertil Steril 2021; 116:4-12. [PMID: 34148588 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.05.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this article is to gather 9 thought leaders and their team members to present their ideas about the future of in vitro fertilization and the andrology laboratory. Although we have seen much progress and innovation in the laboratory over the years, there is still much to come, and this article looks at what these leaders think will be important in the future development of technology and processes in the laboratory.
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Curchoe CL, Malmsten J, Bormann C, Shafiee H, Flores-Saiffe Farias A, Mendizabal G, Chavez-Badiola A, Sigaras A, Alshubbar H, Chambost J, Jacques C, Pena CA, Drakeley A, Freour T, Hajirasouliha I, Hickman CFL, Elemento O, Zaninovic N, Rosenwaks Z. Predictive modeling in reproductive medicine: Where will the future of artificial intelligence research take us? Fertil Steril 2021; 114:934-940. [PMID: 33160516 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.10.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems have been proposed for reproductive medicine since 1997. Although AI is the main driver of emergent technologies in reproduction, such as robotics, Big Data, and internet of things, it will continue to be the engine for technological innovation for the foreseeable future. What does the future of AI research look like?
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonas Malmsten
- The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | | | - Hadi Shafiee
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massahusetts
| | | | - Gerardo Mendizabal
- IVF 2.0 LTD, Merseyside, United Kingdom; Departamento de Ciencias Computacionales, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara
| | | | - Alexandros Sigaras
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Hoor Alshubbar
- Apricity, Paris, France; Institute of Reproduction and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Andrew Drakeley
- Hewitt Fertility Centre, Liverpool Women's Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Freour
- Service de médecine et biologie de la reproduction, CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France; Centre de Recherche en Transplantation et Immunologie, Inserm, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Iman Hajirasouliha
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York; Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Cristina Fontes Lindemann Hickman
- Apricity, Paris, France; Institute of Reproduction and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; TMRW Life Sciences, New York, New York
| | - Olivier Elemento
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York; Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Nikica Zaninovic
- The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Zev Rosenwaks
- The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
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Zhang W, Pan P, Wang X, Chen Y, Rao Y, Liu X. Force-Controlled Mechanical Stimulation and Single-Neuron Fluorescence Imaging of Drosophila Larvae. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2021. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2021.3061874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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21
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High-Order Fiber Mode Beam Parameter Optimization for Transport and Rotation of Single Cells. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:mi12020226. [PMID: 33672397 PMCID: PMC7926556 DOI: 10.3390/mi12020226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Optical tweezers are becoming increasingly important in biomedical applications for the trapping, propelling, binding, and controlled rotation of biological particles. These capabilities enable applications such as cell surgery, microinjections, organelle extraction and modification, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis. In particular, optical fiber-based tweezers are compact, highly flexible, and can be readily integrated into lab-on-a-chip devices. Taking advantage of the beam structure inherent in high-order modes of propagation in optical fiber, LP11, LP21, and LP31 fiber modes can generate structured radial light fields with two or more concentrations in the cross-section of a beam, forming multiple traps for bioparticles with a single optical fiber. In this paper, we report the dynamic modeling and optimization of single cell manipulation with two to six optical traps formed by a single fiber, generated by either spatial light modulation (SLM) or slanted incidence in laser-fiber coupling. In particular, we focus on beam size optimization for arbitrary target cell sizes to enable trapped transport and controlled rotation of a single cell, using a point matching method (PMM) of the T-matrix to compute trapping forces and rotation torque. Finally, we validated these optimized beam sizes experimentally for the LP21 mode. This work provides a new understanding of optimal optical manipulation using high-order fiber modes at the single-cell level.
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Zhao Q, Qiu J, Feng Z, Du Y, Liu Y, Zhao Z, Sun M, Cui M, Zhao X. Robotic Label-Free Precise Oocyte Enucleation for Improving Developmental Competence of Cloned Embryos. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2020; 68:2348-2359. [PMID: 33156778 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2020.3036494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The invisibility of domestic oocyte nucleus in bright field currently forces operators to blindly aspirate nucleus out in oocyte enucleation, usually causing large cytoplasm losses and poor developmental competences of cloned embryos. Although fluorescent labeling of nucleus allows for nucleus localization, the involved photobleaching problems and barriers to the execution of enucleation process limit its online-application in oocyte enucleation. This paper reports a novel label-free oocyte enucleation method for precise removal of the nucleus with less cytoplasm loss. METHODS The relative positions between the injection pipette and nucleus for complete removal of nucleus with less cytoplasm loss were determined through a finite element modeling of nucleus aspiration. To position injection pipette to the above positions relative to nucleus, the appropriate oocyte orientation and trajectory of injection pipette inside oocyte were derived according to the offline-calibrated 3-D distribution of nucleus and the simulated dynamic drift of nucleus that occurs as injection pipette is maneuvered inside oocyte. Finally, a robotic label-free precise enucleation procedure was established. RESULTS The experimental results on more than 1000 porcine oocytes proved that this system is capable of reducing cytoplasm loss by 60% at the same level of enucleation success rate and almost doubling the cleavage rate of clone embryos in comparison to blind aspiration method. CONCLUSIONS The results prove that our method significantly improves the developmental competence of cloned embryos in comparison to manual enucleation method. SIGNIFICANCE Our method is expected to improve the extremely low success rate of animal cloning in the future.
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Sadak F, Saadat M, Hajiyavand AM. Real-time deep learning-based image recognition for applications in automated positioning and injection of biological cells. Comput Biol Med 2020; 125:103976. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2020.103976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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24
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Huang H, Dai C, Shen H, Gu M, Wang Y, Liu J, Chen L, Sun L. Recent Advances on the Model, Measurement Technique, and Application of Single Cell Mechanics. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E6248. [PMID: 32872378 PMCID: PMC7504142 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the cell was discovered by humans, it has been an important research subject for researchers. The mechanical response of cells to external stimuli and the biomechanical response inside cells are of great significance for maintaining the life activities of cells. These biomechanical behaviors have wide applications in the fields of disease research and micromanipulation. In order to study the mechanical behavior of single cells, various cell mechanics models have been proposed. In addition, the measurement technologies of single cells have been greatly developed. These models, combined with experimental techniques, can effectively explain the biomechanical behavior and reaction mechanism of cells. In this review, we first introduce the basic concept and biomechanical background of cells, then summarize the research progress of internal force models and experimental techniques in the field of cell mechanics and discuss the latest mechanical models and experimental methods. We summarize the application directions of cell mechanics and put forward the future perspectives of a cell mechanics model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Jizhu Liu
- School of Mechanical and Electric Engineering, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Robotics, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (H.H.); (C.D.); (H.S.); (M.G.); (Y.W.); (L.S.)
| | - Liguo Chen
- School of Mechanical and Electric Engineering, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Robotics, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (H.H.); (C.D.); (H.S.); (M.G.); (Y.W.); (L.S.)
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25
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Yan Y, Liu H, Zhang B, Liu R. A PMMA-Based Microfluidic Device for Human Sperm Evaluation and Screening on Swimming Capability and Swimming Persistence. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:mi11090793. [PMID: 32839382 PMCID: PMC7570091 DOI: 10.3390/mi11090793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The selection of high-quality sperm is essential to the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF). As human cervical mucus has a high viscosity, without enough swimming persistence, human sperm clouds cannot arrive at the ampulla to fertilize the egg. In this study, we used swimming capability and motion characteristics that are known to be associated with fertilization ability to evaluate the quality of sperm. Here, a clinically applicable polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-based microdevice was designed and fabricated for sperm evaluation and screening for swimming capability and persistence in a viscous environment. In this study, we applied methylcellulose (MC) to mimic the natural properties of mucus in vivo to achieve the selection of motile sperm. Sperm motion was recorded by an inverted microscope. The statistical features were extracted and analyzed. Hundreds of sperm in two treated groups with different concentrations of MC and one control group with human tubal fluid (HTF) media were video recorded. This device can achieve a one-step procedure of high-quality sperm selection and achieve the quantitative evaluation of sperm swimming capability and persistence. Sperm with good swimming capability and persistence may be more suitable for fertilization in a viscous environment. This microdevice and methods could be used to guide the evaluation of sperm motility and screening in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimo Yan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (B.Z.)
- Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Haoran Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (B.Z.)
| | - Boxuan Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (Y.Y.); (H.L.); (B.Z.)
- Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ran Liu
- Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Correspondence:
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26
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Shan G, Zhang Z, Dai C, Wang X, Chu LT, Sun Y. Model-Based Robotic Cell Aspiration: Tackling Nonlinear Dynamics and Varying Cell Sizes. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2020. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2019.2952998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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27
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Abstract
Both injection and biopsy of a mammalian cell require positioning and orientation of a biological cell in a three-dimensional space under a microscope. Manual cell manipulation and orientation is the most commonly used method that is based on a trial-and-error and direct cell poking approach. OBJECTIVE Solve inherent problems of existing approaches, including low efficiency, poor success rate and inconsistent output. METHODS We present a system that is able to automatically rotate a mouse oocyte to a desired orientation based on computer vision. Experimental results demonstrate that the system's capability for intracellular structure recognition and fast oocyte orientation (11.2 s/cell). The system demonstrated overall out-of-plane and in-plane success rates of 94% and 95% respectively. CONCLUSION Our system performs the oocyte rotation by using standard equipment yet significantly improves the efficiency and success rate. SIGNIFICANCE Our methods improve existing techniques and provide a starting point for fast autofocusing and oocyte orientation prior to automatic ICSI or cell biopsy.
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28
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Wang R, Pan W, Jin L, Li Y, Geng Y, Gao C, Chen G, Wang H, Ma D, Liao S. Artificial intelligence in reproductive medicine. Reproduction 2019; 158:R139-R154. [PMID: 30970326 PMCID: PMC6733338 DOI: 10.1530/rep-18-0523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced rapid growth over the past few years, moving from the experimental to the implementation phase in various fields, including medicine. Advances in learning algorithms and theories, the availability of large datasets and improvements in computing power have contributed to breakthroughs in current AI applications. Machine learning (ML), a subset of AI, allows computers to detect patterns from large complex datasets automatically and uses these patterns to make predictions. AI is proving to be increasingly applicable to healthcare, and multiple machine learning techniques have been used to improve the performance of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Despite various challenges, the integration of AI and reproductive medicine is bound to give an essential direction to medical development in the future. In this review, we discuss the basic aspects of AI and machine learning, and we address the applications, potential limitations and challenges of AI. We also highlight the prospects and future directions in the context of reproductive medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renjie Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wei Pan
- School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lei Jin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuehan Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yudi Geng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chun Gao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Gang Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ding Ma
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shujie Liao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of HUST, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence should be addressed to S Liao;
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29
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A novel micro drill design based on Ros-Drill Ⓒ. Biomed Microdevices 2019; 21:84. [PMID: 31428867 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-019-0432-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents the development of a novel micro drill device for single living organisms. Currently, microinjection for mice and some other species is performed with the help of piezo-driven actuators with a very small amount of mercury column in the proximal end of the pipette in order to increase the success rate. However, the toxicity of mercury exhibits a risk factor both for the operator and the injected cells. Therefore, mercury-free devices have become a necessity. Here, a novel micro drill is developed based on the same principle of Ros-DrillⒸ piercing approach; piercing via rotational movements. The new drill is driven by a brushless motor, and it incorporates the micropipette holder. Both the amplitude and the frequency of rotational oscillations can be adjusted in very wide ranges. The experiments reveal that the drill is suitable for different tasks such as microinjection and biopsy of different organisms. It presents good performance in terms of success rate, ease of usage, compactness and compatibility with different manipulation systems.
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Yin C, Wei F, Zhan Z, Zheng J, Yao L, Yang W, Li M. Untethered microgripper-the dexterous hand at microscale. Biomed Microdevices 2019; 21:82. [PMID: 31418070 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-019-0430-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Untethered microgrippers that can navigate in hard-to-reach and unpredictable environments are significantly important for biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, micromanipulation, minimally invasive surgery and in vivo biopsy. Compared with the traditional tethered microgrippers, the wireless microgrippers, due to the exceptional characteristics such as miniaturized size, untethered actuation, dexterous and autonomous motion, are projected to be promising microtools in various future applications. In this review, we categorize the untethered microgrippers into five major classes, i.e. microgrippers responsive to thermal, microgrippers actuated by magnetic fields, microgrippers responsive to chemicals, light-driven microgrippers and hybrid actuated microgrippers. Firstly, the actuation mechanisms of these microgrippers are introduced. The challenges faced by these microgrippers are also covered in this part. With that, the fabrication methods of these microgrippers are summarized. Subsequently, the applications of microgrippers are presented. Additionally, we conduct a comparison among different actuation mechanisms to explore the advantages and potential challenges of various types of microgrippers. In the end of this review, conclusions and outlook of the development and potential applications of the microgrippers are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Yin
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Fanan Wei
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China.
| | - Ziheng Zhan
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Jianghong Zheng
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Ligang Yao
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Wenguang Yang
- School of Electromechanical and Automotive Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, China
| | - Minglin Li
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
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31
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Ta QM, Cheah CC. Stochastic Control for Orientation and Transportation of Microscopic Objects Using Multiple Optically Driven Robotic Fingertips. IEEE T ROBOT 2019. [DOI: 10.1109/tro.2019.2902064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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32
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Zhang Z, Dai C, Wang X, Ru C, Abdalla K, Jahangiri S, Librach C, Jarvi K, Sun Y. Automated Laser Ablation of Motile Sperm for Immobilization. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2018.2890445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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33
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Effect of Injection Speed on Oocyte Deformation in ICSI. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10040226. [PMID: 30934904 PMCID: PMC6523159 DOI: 10.3390/mi10040226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Oocyte deformation during injection is a major cause of potential cell damage which can lead to failure in the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) operation used as an infertility treatment. Injection speed plays an important role in the deformation creation. In this paper the effect of different speeds on deformation of zebrafish embryos is studied using a specially designed experimental set-up. An analytical model is developed in order to link injection force, deformation, and injection speed. A finite element (FE) model is also developed to analyse the effect of injection speed, allowing the production of additional information that is difficult to obtain experimentally, e.g., deformation and stress fields on the oocyte. The numerical model is validated against experimental results. Experimental results indicate that by increasing the injection speed, the deformation decreases. However, higher speeds cause higher levels of injection force and force fluctuation, leading to a higher vibration during injection. For this reason, an optimum injection speed range is determined. Finally, the FE model was validated against experimental results. The FE model is able to predict the force-deformation variation during injection for different speeds. This proves to be useful for future studies investigating different injection conditions.
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Liu X, Shi Q, Lin Y, Kojima M, Mae Y, Fukuda T, Huang Q, Arai T. Multifunctional Noncontact Micromanipulation Using Whirling Flow Generated by Vibrating a Single Piezo Actuator. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2019; 15:e1804421. [PMID: 30556342 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201804421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
A noncontact method that can achieve immobilization, transportation, and rotation in the microscale is desired in biological micromanipulation. A multifunctional noncontact micromanipulation method is proposed here based on a vibration-generated whirling flow. Resonance of a cantilever structure is utilized to extend the straight vibration of a single piezo actuator to the 2D circular vibration of a micropipette. The circular vibration in fluids can generate the whirling flow featured with low pressure in the core area and flow velocity gradient. The low pressure can immobilize the objects nearby and transport them together with the micropipette, and the flow velocity gradient is utilized to form a torque to rotate the immobilized object. Experiments of the microbeads are conducted to evaluate the claimed functions and quantify the key parameters that influence the rotation velocity. The cell spheroid is immobilized and rotated for 3D observation, and by assessing the viability of the cells containing in the spheroid, the proposed method is proved noninvasive to living cells. Finally, another important application in operations of mouse egg cells is shown, which indicates that the proposed method is a potential valuable tool in biological micromanipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoming Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Decision of Complex System, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Qing Shi
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Decision of Complex System, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yuqing Lin
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Decision of Complex System, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Masaru Kojima
- Department of Systems Innovation, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan
| | - Yasushi Mae
- Department of Systems Innovation, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan
| | - Toshio Fukuda
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Decision of Complex System, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Qiang Huang
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Decision of Complex System, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Tatsuo Arai
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Decision of Complex System, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
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Wang X, Zhao Q, Wang L, Liu J, Pu H, Xie S, Ru C, Sun Y. Effect of Cell Inner Pressure on Deposition Volume in Microinjection. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:10287-10292. [PMID: 30095920 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b02102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Microinjection is a widely used technique for introducing exogenous materials into cells. Many applications of microinjection, such as gene editing and drug testing, rely on the accurate control of the deposition volume. However, the deposition volume in microinjection is presently calibrated in an open medium without considering the cell inner pressure effect, which we experimentally show in this paper that it can induce an error as large as 30% between the actual deposition volume and the set volume. In this work, the relationship between the cell inner pressure and the deposition volume was analytically modeled and experimentally validated. On the basis of the developed model, the cell inner pressure of a given cell type can be well estimated from the injection pressure and the resulting deposition volume. The quantitated cell inner pressure is then used to reduce the error between the set volume and the actual deposition volume. Experiments conducted on human bladder cancer cells (T24 and RT4) showed that T24 cells have a higher inner pressure than RT4 cells (405 ± 45 Pa vs 341 ± 34 Pa), and after compensating for the cell inner pressure, the error between the intended set volume and the actual deposition volume into a cell became less than 3%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Wang
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering , University of Toronto , Toronto M5S 3G8 , Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering , University of Toronto , Toronto M5S 3G9 , Canada
| | - Qili Zhao
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering , University of Toronto , Toronto M5S 3G8 , Canada
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering , University of Toronto , Toronto M5S 3G8 , Canada
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering , University of Toronto , Toronto M5S 3G8 , Canada
| | - Huayan Pu
- School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation , Shanghai University , Shanghai 200072 , China
| | - Shaorong Xie
- School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation , Shanghai University , Shanghai 200072 , China
| | - Changhai Ru
- Research Center of Robotics and Micro System & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology , Soochow University , Suzhou , Jiangsu 215021 , China
| | - Yu Sun
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering , University of Toronto , Toronto M5S 3G8 , Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering , University of Toronto , Toronto M5S 3G9 , Canada
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , University of Toronto , Toronto M5S 3G4 , Canada
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36
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Saadat M, Hajiyavand AM, Singh Bedi AP. Oocyte Positional Recognition for Automatic Manipulation in ICSI. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:E429. [PMID: 30424362 PMCID: PMC6187518 DOI: 10.3390/mi9090429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Polar body position detection is a necessary process in the automation of micromanipulation systems specifically used in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) applications. The polar body is an intracellular structure, which accommodates the chromosomes, and the injection must not only avoid this structure but be at the furthest point away from it. This paper aims to develop a vision recognition system for the recognition of the oocyte and its polar body in order to be used to inform the automated injection mechanism to avoid the polar body. The novelty of the paper is its capability to determine the position and orientation of the oocyte and its polar body. The gradient-weighted Hough transform method was employed for the detection of the location of the oocyte and its polar body. Moreover, a new elliptical fitting method was employed for size measurement of the polar bodies and oocytes for the allowance of morphological variance of the oocytes and their polar bodies. The proposed algorithm has been designed to be adaptable with typical commercial inverted microscopes with different criteria. The successful experimental results for this algorithm produce maximum errors of 5% for detection and 10% for reporting respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mozafar Saadat
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Amir M Hajiyavand
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Ajai-Pal Singh Bedi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
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37
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Zhang Z, Dai C, Huang J, Wang X, Liu J, Ru C, Pu H, Xie S, Zhang J, Moskovtsev S, Librach C, Jarvi K, Sun Y. Robotic Immobilization of Motile Sperm for Clinical Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2018; 66:444-452. [PMID: 29993453 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2018.2848972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In clinical intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a motile sperm must be immobilized before insertion into an oocyte. This paper aims to develop a robotic system for automated tracking, orientation control, and immobilization of motile sperms for clinical ICSI applications. METHODS We adapt the probabilistic data association filter by adding sperm head orientation into state variables for robustly tracking the sperm head and estimating sperm tail positions under interfering conditions. The robotic system also utilizes a motorized rotational microscopy stage and a new visual servo control strategy that predicts and compensates for sperm movements to actively adjust sperm orientation for immobilizing a sperm swimming in any direction. RESULTS The system robustly tracked sperm head with a tracking success rate of 96.0% and estimated sperm tail position with an accuracy of 1.08 μm under clinical conditions where the occlusion of the target sperm and interference from other sperms occur. Experimental results from robotic immobilization of 400 sperms confirmed that the system achieved a consistent immobilization success rate of 94.5%, independent of sperm velocity or swimming direction. CONCLUSION Our adapted tracking algorithm effectively distinguishes the target sperm from interfering sperms. Predicting and compensating for sperm movements significantly reduce the positioning error during sperm orientation control. These features make the robotic system suitable for automated sperm immobilization. SIGNIFICANCE The robotic system eliminates stringent skill requirements in manual sperm immobilization. It is capable of manipulating sperms swimming in an arbitrary direction with a high success rate.
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38
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Johnson W, Dai C, Liu J, Wang X, Luu DK, Zhang Z, Ru C, Zhou C, Tan M, Pu H, Xie S, Peng Y, Luo J, Sun Y. A Flexure-Guided Piezo Drill for Penetrating the Zona Pellucida of Mammalian Oocytes. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2017; 65:678-686. [PMID: 28600237 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2017.2713302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian oocytes such as mouse oocytes have a highly elastic outer membrane, zona pellucida (ZP) that cannot be penetrated without significantly deforming the oocyte, even with a sharp micropipette. Piezo drill devices leverage lateral and axial vibration of the micropipette to accomplish ZP penetration with greatly reduced oocyte deformation. However, existing piezo drills all rely on a large lateral micropipette vibration amplitude ( 20 ) and a small axial vibration amplitude (0.1 ). The very large lateral vibration amplitude has been deemed to be necessary for ZP penetration although it also induces larger oocyte deformation and more oocyte damage. This paper reports on a new piezo drill device that uses a flexure guidance mechanism and a systematically designed pulse train with an appropriate base frequency. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate that a small lateral vibration amplitude (e.g., 2 ) and an axial vibration amplitude as large as 1.2 were achieved. Besides achieving 100% effectiveness in the penetration of mouse oocytes (n = 45), the new piezo device during ZP penetration induced a small oocyte deformation of 3.4 versus larger than 10 using existing piezo drill devices.
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39
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Wang Z, Feng C, Ang WT, Tan SYM, Latt WT. Autofocusing and Polar Body Detection in Automated Cell Manipulation. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2016; 64:1099-1105. [PMID: 27416586 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2016.2590995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Autofocusing and feature detection are two essential processes for performing automated biological cell manipulation tasks. In this paper, we have introduced a technique capable of focusing on a holding pipette and a mammalian cell under a bright-field microscope automatically, and a technique that can detect and track the presence and orientation of the polar body of an oocyte that is rotated at the tip of a micropipette. Both algorithms were evaluated by using mouse oocytes. Experimental results show that both algorithms achieve very high success rates: 100% and 96%. As robust and accurate image processing methods, they can be widely applied to perform various automated biological cell manipulations.
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40
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Zhang Z, Liu J, Meriano J, Ru C, Xie S, Luo J, Sun Y. Human sperm rheotaxis: a passive physical process. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23553. [PMID: 27005727 PMCID: PMC4804285 DOI: 10.1038/srep23553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A long-standing question in natural reproduction is how mammalian sperm navigate inside female reproductive tract and finally reach the egg cell, or oocyte. Recently, fluid flow was proposed as a long–range guidance cue for sperm navigation. Coitus induces fluid flow from oviduct to uterus, and sperm align themselves against the flow direction and swim upstream, a phenomenon termed rheotaxis. Whether sperm rheotaxis is a passive process dominated by fluid mechanics, or sperm actively sense and adapt to fluid flow remains controversial. Here we report the first quantitative study of sperm flagellar motion during human sperm rheotaxis and provide direct evidence indicating that sperm rheotaxis is a passive process. Experimental results show that there is no significant difference in flagellar beating amplitude and asymmetry between rheotaxis-turning sperm and those sperm swimming freely in the absence of fluid flow. Additionally, fluorescence image tracking shows no Ca2+ influx during sperm rheotaxis turning, further suggesting there is no active signal transduction during human sperm rheotaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoran Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jim Meriano
- LifeQuest Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Changhai Ru
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Robotics &Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, China
| | - Shaorong Xie
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Shanghai University, China
| | - Jun Luo
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Mechatronic Engineering, Shanghai University, China
| | - Yu Sun
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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41
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Chen D, Sun M, Zhao X. Oocytes Polar Body Detection for Automatic Enucleation. MICROMACHINES 2016; 7:E27. [PMID: 30407400 PMCID: PMC6190001 DOI: 10.3390/mi7020027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Enucleation is a crucial step in cloning. In order to achieve automatic blind enucleation, we should detect the polar body of the oocyte automatically. The conventional polar body detection approaches have low success rate or low efficiency. We propose a polar body detection method based on machine learning in this paper. On one hand, the improved Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) algorithm is employed to extract features of polar body images, which will increase success rate. On the other hand, a position prediction method is put forward to narrow the search range of polar body, which will improve efficiency. Experiment results show that the success rate is 96% for various types of polar bodies. Furthermore, the method is applied to an enucleation experiment and improves the degree of automatic enucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Chen
- Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System (IRAIS), Nankai University, No. 94 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300000, China.
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics (TJKLIR), Nankai University, No. 94 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300000, China.
| | - Mingzhu Sun
- Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System (IRAIS), Nankai University, No. 94 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300000, China.
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics (TJKLIR), Nankai University, No. 94 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300000, China.
| | - Xin Zhao
- Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System (IRAIS), Nankai University, No. 94 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300000, China.
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics (TJKLIR), Nankai University, No. 94 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300000, China.
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42
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Micromanipulation in assisted reproductive technology. Reprod Biomed Online 2016; 32:339-47. [PMID: 26936146 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2016.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Micromanipulation describes a set of tools and techniques for cellular microsurgery and manipulation. Micromanipulation techniques have played an important role in basic research and the development of clinical techniques in assisted reproductive technology. This work provides a review of the development and current practices involving micromanipulation in the human clinical assisted reproduction laboratory.
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43
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Wang Z, Ang WT, Tan SYM, Latt WT. Automatic segmentation of zona pellucida and its application in cleavage-stage embryo biopsy position selection. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2016; 2015:3859-64. [PMID: 26737136 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2015.7319236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
A very important step of Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is embryo biopsy, in which process the zona pellucida (ZP) is cut open partially and a part of cellular material is extracted from the embryo. Recognition of the ZP is necessary not only for embryo biopsy, but also for other applications such as zona pellucida thickness variation (ZPTV), embryo dissection, etc. The ZP opening position is closely related to the cell survival rate after the biopsy. Selection of an unsuitable position may cause blastomere lysis after the ZP opening. Normal procedures of ZP recognition and biopsy position selection involve a skilled human embryologist. In order to make the process automatic, we introduce an automatic segmentation method for ZP recognition by using edge detection and ellipse fitting with a value adjustment algorithm in this paper. An application of ZP recognition in embryo biopsy position selection is also introduced. Our ZP recognition algorithm was able to correctly segment 43 out of 45 sample embryo images, achieving a success rate of 96%. Its application in embryo biopsy position selection achieved a success rate of 93%.
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44
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Wong CY, Mills JK. Automation and optimization of multi-pulse laser zona drilling of mouse embryos during embryo biopsy. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2016; 64:629-636. [DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2016.2571060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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45
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Wang Z, Latt WT, Tan SYM, Ang WT. Visual Servoed Three-Dimensional Cell Rotation System. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2015; 62:2498-507. [PMID: 25993702 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2015.2434102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3-D) positioning and orientation of embryos/oocytes is necessary to facilitate micromanipulation tasks such as cell injection and cellular structural biopsy commonly performed under a microscope. Conventional cell orientation is performed manually by using a vacuum equipped micropipette to aspirate and release the cell, which is a trial-and-error approach. The conventional method relies heavily on the skill of the operator; it also suffers from low precision, low success rate and low controllability. These drawbacks illustrate the need for a systematic 3-D cell rotational system to automate the cell orientation process. In this paper, we present a noninvasive single cell rotation system that can automatically orientate a zebrafish embryo to a desired position when both the cytoplasm and the yolk are in the focal plane. A three-point-contact model for cell rotation that involves a custom-designed rotational stage is introduced to provide precise rotational position control. A vision recognition algorithm is also proposed to enable the visual servoing function of the system. Experimental results show that the proposed system can achieve high success rates of 92.5% (x-axis rotation with 40 trails) and 97.5% (about the z-axis with 80 trails). The system can also successfully complete 3-D cell orientation at an average speed of 31 s/cell with a high in-plane rotation accuracy of 0.3 (°) . As a high precise, high controllable and deterministic cell manipulating system, it provides a starting point for automated cell manipulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo biopsy for preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
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46
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Abstract
Despite the development of in vitro fertilization (IVF) more than 30 years ago, the cost of treatment remains high. Furthermore, over the years, more sophisticated technologies and expensive medications have been introduced, making IVF increasingly inaccessible despite the increasing need. Globally, the option to undergo IVF is only available to a privileged few. In recent years, there has been growing interest in exploring strategies to reduce the cost of IVF treatment, which would allow the service to be provided in low-resource settings. In this review, we explore the various ways in which the cost of this treatment can be reduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pek Joo Teoh
- Aberdeen Fertility Centre, Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Abha Maheshwari
- Aberdeen Fertility Centre, Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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47
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Liu J, Siragam V, Gong Z, Chen J, Fridman MD, Leung C, Lu Z, Ru C, Xie S, Luo J, Hamilton RM, Sun Y. Robotic adherent cell injection for characterizing cell-cell communication. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2014; 62:119-25. [PMID: 25073160 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2014.2342036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Compared to robotic injection of suspended cells (e.g., embryos and oocytes), fewer attempts were made to automate the injection of adherent cells (e.g., cancer cells and cardiomyocytes) due to their smaller size, highly irregular morphology, small thickness (a few micrometers thick), and large variations in thickness across cells. This paper presents a robotic system for automated microinjection of adherent cells. The system is embedded with several new capabilities: automatically locating micropipette tips; robustly detecting the contact of micropipette tip with cell culturing surface and directly with cell membrane; and precisely compensating for accumulative positioning errors. These new capabilities make it practical to perform adherent cell microinjection truly via computer mouse clicking in front of a computer monitor, on hundreds and thousands of cells per experiment (versus a few to tens of cells as state of the art). System operation speed, success rate, and cell viability rate were quantitatively evaluated based on robotic microinjection of over 4000 cells. This paper also reports the use of the new robotic system to perform cell-cell communication studies using large sample sizes. The gap junction function in a cardiac muscle cell line (HL-1 cells), for the first time, was quantified with the system.
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48
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Swain JE, Lai D, Takayama S, Smith GD. Thinking big by thinking small: application of microfluidic technology to improve ART. LAB ON A CHIP 2013; 13:1213-24. [PMID: 23400523 DOI: 10.1039/c3lc41290c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) laboratories often carry a penchant to resist change while in the pursuit of maintaining consistency in laboratory conditions. However, implementation of new technology is often critical to expand scientific discoveries and to improve upon prior successes to advance the field. Microfluidic platforms represent a technology that has the potential to revolutionize the fundamental processes of IVF. While the focus of microfluidic application in IVF has centered on embryo culture, the innovative platforms carry tremendous potential to improve other procedural steps and represents a possible paradigm shift in how we handle gametes and embryos. The following review will highlight application of various microfluidic platforms in IVF for use in maturation, manipulation, culture, cryopreservation and non-invasive quality assessment; pointing out new insights gained into functions of sperm, oocytes and embryos. Platform design and function will also be discussed, focusing on limitations, advancements and future refinements that can further aid in their clinical implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Swain
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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49
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Xu Ping Zhang, Leung C, Zhe Lu, Esfandiari N, Casper RF, Yu Sun. Controlled Aspiration and Positioning of Biological Cells in a Micropipette. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2012; 59:1032-40. [DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2012.2182673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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50
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Abstract
Research and clinical applications, such as microinjection and polar-body biopsy involve 3-D rotation of mammalian oocytes/embryos. In these cell manipulation tasks, the polar body of an embryo/oocyte must be made visible and properly oriented under optical microscopy. Cell rotation in conventional manual operation by skilled professionals is based on trial and error, such as through repeated vacuum aspiration and release. The randomness of this manual procedure, its poor reproducibility, and inconsistency across operators entail a systematic technique for automated, noninvasive, 3-D rotational control of single cells. This paper reports a system that tracks the polar body of mouse embryos in real time and controls multiple motion control devices to conduct automated 3-D rotational control of mouse embryos. Experimental results demonstrated the system's capability for polar-body orientation with a high success rate of 90%, an accuracy of 1.9 °, and an average speed of 22.8 s/cell (versus averagely 40 s/cell in manual operation).
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Affiliation(s)
- Clement Leung
- Advanced Micro and Nanosystems Laboratory, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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