new sperm imaging could revolutionize testing and treatment

A new means of sperm badysis developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham could bring substantial improvements to male fertility tests.

The new technique uses imaging software called Flea Capture and Sperm Monitoring (FAST) to track the speed and action of the sperm flagella, or tail. This provides vital information about the possibility that sperm contained in an ejaculate sample could reach and fertilize an egg, thus providing a more sophisticated understanding of male fertility than traditional means.

The project was developed by the School of Mathematics at the University of Birmingham in partnership with the Center for Human Reproductive Sciences of the University. The results were published in the journal Human reproduction.

Current methods of sperm badysis have been limited to counting the number of spermatozoa produced in a sample or monitoring the sperm heads to record their movements. However, these tests have their limits. Although sperm count and motility can adequately predict the duration of conception, they do not directly measure the fertilizing potential of the sample.

FAST allows researchers to measure the tiny forces exerted on and by the flagellum through a combination of fast and high-throughput digital imaging, mathematics and fluid dynamics.

The team hopes that this will allow clinical researchers to better understand the link between sperm motility and fertility, and to develop new interventions to combat fertility problems in men.

Jackson Kirkman-Brown, professor of reproductive science at the University of Birmingham, said: "The diagnostic techniques are rudimentary and there is still no medication to treat male infertility. We know that motility of spermatozoa is a major factor. Therefore, being able to badyze in detail the movement of sperm will help us identify appropriate treatments or lifestyle changes needed to solve male fertility problems, give couples clearer answers and allow better decisions.

The best diagnoses that the team at the origin of FAST hopes to allow mean that more appropriate fertility treatments can also be attributed to infertile couples.

These include fertility pathways such as intrauterine insemination (INU) to inject sperm directly into the uterus; In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), when an egg is fertilized manually in a sperm culture lab box, and then returned to the uterus; or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where a single sperm is injected into an egg with the help of a thin glbad needle.

Birmingham University Mathematics Professor Dave Smith, who was leading the study, said: "The tools available to understand sperm – the manual counting under the microscope – have not changed much since the 1950s. However, think of the amount of technology – camera, computer, connectivity – to which we all now have access. This project is to harness these technologies of the 21st century to solve the problems of male fertility. "