Advanced sperm quality analysis

Successful animal breeding relies on the formation of functionally intact eggs and sperm cells. If a male is apparently not able to sire offspring, a clinical examination and a standard semen evaluation form the basis to investigate the case. However, sometimes the results from these analyses provide no indication for the subfertility or infertility. In these cases of unexplained sub- or infertility, we offer an advanced sperm quality analysis for obtaining more insight in potentially underlying factors.

Spermcells in oviducts on a chip.

Causes of sub-/infertility

In counseling with a clinician and a biotechnologist, we offer a tailor-made selection of additional sperm parameters for identifying causes of sub-/infertility. Objective motility evaluation by computer-assisted semen analysis and state-of-the-art flow cytometry are employed to evaluate the functionality and integrity of the spermatozoa. Standardised assays evaluate the integrity of the sperm plasma membrane (viability), the acrosome (acrosome integrity), or the integrity of the sperm’s chromatin. These high throughput techniques can be combined with high resolution microcopy, i.e. Differential Interference Contrast optics or Electron microscopy (in collaboration with Department of Cell Biology), to gain insight in the subcellular organisation of the sperm cells. Finally, we provide an advice on strategies that may improve the fertility of a patient, e.g. employing procedures for sperm selection, advice on semen processing, or choosing for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).