Reproductive outcomes predicted by phase imaging with computational specificity of spermatozoon ultrastructure.

The ability to evaluate sperm at the microscopic level, at high-throughput, would be useful for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), as it can allow specific selection of sperm cells for in vitro fertilization (IVF). The tradeoff between intrinsic imaging and external contrast agents is particularly acute in reproductive medicine. The use of fluorescence labels has enabled new cell-sorting strategies and given new insights into developmental biology.

Morphometric analysis of sperm used for IVP by three different separation methods with spatial light interference microscopy.

The goal of this study was to characterize sperm populations resulting from three different methods of sperm selection used for bovine fertilization. We compared sperm selection with discontinuous Percoll gradients, Swim-Up, and electro-channel. Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) was used to evaluate the morphology of the spermatozoa and computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) was used to evaluate the motility behavior of the sperm.