Researchers at the University of Waterloo have made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionize male fertility testing, potentially leading to simple and inexpensive at-home diagnostic kits.
By combining expertise in sperm motility and interface science, the research team found that the movement of healthy sperm within semen affects how droplets adhere to water-repellent surfaces. Using a flexible strip called a cantilever, they measured the force needed to detach semen droplets—revealing that droplets containing active sperm detached more easily than those with less mobile sperm.
“Think of it like this: active, swimming sperm help the droplet let go more easily,” explained Dr. Sushanta Mitra, professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering and executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. “The more active the sperm, the less the droplet sticks.”
A Novel Approach to Sperm Quality Testing
Since sperm motility is essential for fertilization—requiring sperm to swim more than 1,000 times their body length to reach an egg—this innovative method provides a unique way to assess fertility. The concept is akin to pulling apart two pieces of tape: the stronger the adhesion, the more force is needed to separate them. In this case, droplets with healthier sperm require less force to detach.
Current male fertility tests rely on laboratory-based microscopic examination of sperm activity. However, the Waterloo-led study offers a cost-effective alternative that could simplify the process for fertility clinics and even make at-home testing a reality.
“I was excited to see the correlation between sperm motility and droplet adhesion,” said Dr. Veronika Magdanz, a professor of systems design engineering. “It is a completely new approach that opens new avenues for sperm diagnostics.”
Future Applications and Development
Beyond human fertility testing, the same principle could be applied to veterinary medicine and animal breeding. Researchers are now working to refine and standardize the measurement process, develop specialized testing surfaces, and create a prototype for large-scale validation.
“We are encouraged by our results, which demonstrated a clear link between sperm motility and droplet adhesion,” Mitra said. “But more development work is needed to create practical testing devices.”
The study, Connecting Droplet Adhesion with Sperm Kinematics: A New Paradigm in Sperm Quality Monitoring, was recently published in Advanced Materials Interfaces.
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