Male factor infertility is the sole cause of infertility in approximately 20% of infertile couples, with an additional 30% to 40% secondary to both male and female factors. Current means of evaluation of male factor infertility remains routine semen analysis including seminal volume, pH, sperm concentration, motility, and morphology. However, approximately 15% of patients with male factor infertility have a normal semen analysis and a definitive diagnosis of male infertility often cannot be made as a result of routine semen analysis. Attention has focused on the role of sperm nuclear DNA integrity in male factor infertility. Here we review the structure of human sperm chromatin, the etiology and mechanisms of sperm DNA damage, current tests available to assess sperm DNA integrity, and effect of sperm DNA integrity on reproductive outcomes.

Despite advances in in vitro manipulation of preimplantation embryos, there is still a reduction in the quality of embryos produced leading to lower pregnancy rates compared with embryos produced in vivo. We hypothesized that a dynamic microfunnel embryo culture system would enhance outcomes by better mimicking the fluid-mechanical and biochemical stimulation embryos experience in vivo from ciliary currents and oviductal contractions. Mouse embryos were cultured in microdrop-static control, microfunnel-static control or microfunnel-dynamic conditions with microfluidics. All groups tested had greater than 90% total blastocyst development from zygotes after 96 h culture. Blastocyst developmental stage was significantly enhanced (P < 0.01) under dynamic microfunnel culture conditions as evidenced by an increased percentage of hatching or hatched blastocysts (Microdrop-control 31%; Microfunnel-control 23%; Microfunnel-pulsatile 71%) and significantly higher (P < 0.01) average number of cells per blastocyst (Microdrop-control 67 ± 3; Microfunnel-control 60 ± 3; Microfunnel-pulsatile 109 ± 5). Blastocyst cell numbers in dynamic microfunnel cultures (109 ± 5) more closely matched numbers obtained from in vivo grown blastocysts (144 ± 9). Importantly, dynamic microfunnel culture significantly improved embryo implantation and ongoing pregnancy rates over static culture to levels approaching that of in utero derived preimplantation embryos. The improved pregnancy outcomes along with the simple and user-friendly design of the microfluidic/microfunnel system has potential to alleviate many inefficiencies in embryo production for biomedical research, genetic gain in domestic species and assisted reproductive technologies in humans.

Increased demand for in vitro fertilization (IVF) due to socio-demographic trends, and supply facilitated by new technologies, converged to transform the way a substantial proportion of humans reproduce. The purpose of this article is to describe the societal and demographic trends driving increased worldwide demand for IVF, as well as to provide an overview of emerging technologies that promise to greatly expand IVF utilization and lower its cost.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) laboratories often carry a penchant to resist change while in the pursuit of maintaining consistency in laboratory conditions. However, implementation of new technology is often critical to expand scientific discoveries and to improve upon prior successes to advance the field. Microfluidic platforms represent a technology that has the potential to revolutionize the fundamental processes of IVF. While the focus of microfluidic application in IVF has centered on embryo culture, the innovative platforms carry tremendous potential to improve other procedural steps and represents a possible paradigm shift in how we handle gametes and embryos. The following review will highlight application of various microfluidic platforms in IVF for use in maturation, manipulation, culture, cryopreservation and non-invasive quality assessment; pointing out new insights gained into functions of sperm, oocytes and embryos. Platform design and function will also be discussed, focusing on limitations, advancements and future refinements that can further aid in their clinical implementation.