Homepage  /  IVF News

Sperm 'radar' sorts the good from the bad

Shaoni Bhattacharya

Progress Educational Trust

03 June 2017

| | | |
[BioNews, London]

A giant scanner has been successfully used to sort 'good' sperm from 'bad'.

The team at the University of Sheffield hope their technique might one day help develop diagnostic tests and treatments for male infertility.

'The fact we can detect differences in molecular composition between samples of "good" and "poor" sperm is really significant because it opens up the opportunity for us to develop a novel biomarker to help with diagnosis,' said Dr Steven Reynolds, corresponding author of the study published in Molecular Human Reproduction.

'Or it might one day allow us to design specific therapies for men with poor sperm that might help give them a boost,' he added.

Sperm samples prepared from healthy volunteers were placed into a ten-foot high magnetic resonance spectroscopy machine which worked to sort the sperm on the basis of their molecular make-up into those which were likely to be good swimmers (with high motility), and those which were not (low motility).

The technique is commonly used to scan soft body tissues as it does not affect living cells. It uses powerful magnets to create pulses, like radar, which bounce back from body tissues at different frequencies depending on their chemical compositions. These bounce-back signals can be used to create a molecular profile or image.

'The technique of magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been previously used to examine the molecular composition of many cells and tissues in other diseases such as cancer, but it has never previously been used to examine live sperm,' explained Professor Martyn Paley, one of the spermNMR study team at Sheffield. 'As such, these results are a world first.'

Professor Allan Pacey, his colleague, said: 'Most of the advanced techniques we have available to examine the molecules in sperm end up destroying them in the process by either adding stains or by breaking open their membranes to look at the contents... To potentially have a technique which can examine the molecular structure of sperm without damaging them is really exciting.'

SOURCES & REFERENCES

H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of live human sperm

Molecular Human Reproduction | 23 May 2017
 

Hope for infertile couples as scientists hail 'world first' in sperm selection

The Daily Telegraph | 24 May 2017
 

New 'sperm radar' test may uncover secrets about male infertility

University of Sheffield | 22 May 2017
 

New sperm scanner boosts men's chance of IVF success

Daily Mail | 24 May 2017
 

Sperm nMR project

University of Sheffield | 
 



© Copyright Progress Educational Trust

Reproduced with permission from BioNews, an email and online sources of news, information and comment on assisted reproduction and genetics.

Share IVF News on FaceBook   Share IVF News on Twitter

2258


Add to Favorites | Reply to Ad | Tell Your Friends
Date Added: 03 June 2017   Date Updated: 03 June 2017
Customer Reviews (0)
write a review
(No reviews found. You may write the first one!)


Join Our Newsletter - Don't Miss Anything!!!

Stay in touch with the latest news by subscribing to our regular email newsletters