Evaluation Of A Microfluidic Device To Standardize Sperm Motility Assessment In Louisiana Saltwater Fishes (Urop Final Report January 2021)

Standardized assessment of sperm quality is important for (1) development of sperm repository by cryopreservation for fish stock enhancement, and (2) evaluation of the impact of environmental pollution to animals using bioindicator species. Variation of user techniques and outcomes exists across laboratories performing sperm activation, accomplished by mixing sperm and seawater manually. Microfluidics technology has shown potential to address this problem by providing standardized sperm mixing and activation that enable sperm motility being assessed using existing microscopic analysis methods. In this project, a novel microfluidic chip was developed for standardized analysis of sperm quality of Louisiana saltwater fish species. COMSOL Multiphysics and Autodesk Inventor were used for design and simulation. Two candidate designs were chosen after an iterative design/simulation process. Photomasks for the fluidic layer of both candidate designs were manufactured. The template mold for the primary design was fabricated using manual mask alignment. The device was fabricated by molding a curable elastomer on the template. The device was tested for flow initiation/cessation, ease of loading and operation, and preliminary testing was done for evaluating mixing efficiency.