Low cost, automated smartphone based assay for semen analysis

项目总结 消费者越来越有兴趣更多地了解自己的健康状况。其中最 人们熟悉的直接面向消费者的诊断测试一直是家庭怀孕测试。我们报告了一个 开发另一种新的看护点诊断测试的实用方法 生殖健康需求--对男性生育能力的评估。传统上，男性不太可能 比起她们的女性伴侣(尽管千禧一代的男性 对生育测试更感兴趣)。男性因素不育症的诊断延迟可能会延长 夫妇的不孕不育治疗过程，并导致不必要的干预 女性伴侣。 人工显微镜检测和计算机辅助精液分析(CASA)技术 价格昂贵，而且需要很高的技术技能才能使用。在家进行负担得起的测试的想法 筛选异常精液分析的平台将不再需要去诊所就诊和 提供初步数据以指导转诊。 我们的原型设备已经在临床精液样本中进行了广泛的测试。预赛 目前的结果是稳健和公正的，患者的结果是基于对 通过将我们的微芯片结果与标准方法进行比较，获得了这项技术。在这条快速通道中 SBIR项目我们将进一步优化设计参数，开发出一流的、 基于手机的精液分析设备，可以销售给a)进行基于家庭的检测和 B)作为试管受精诊所CASA的廉价替代品。

PROJECT SUMMARY Consumers are increasingly interested in knowing more about their own health. One of the most familiar direct to-consumer diagnostic tests has been the home pregnancy test. We report a practical approach towards developing a new point-of-care diagnostic test for another reproductive health need—the assessment of male fertility. Traditionally, men are less likely to seek medical attention for fertility concerns than their female partners (although millennial males are more interested in fertility testing). A delay in diagnosis of male factor infertility may prolong the infertility treatment process for the couple and result in unnecessary interventions for the female partner. Manual microscopic testing and computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) technology are expensive and require significant technical skill to use. The idea of an at-home, affordable testing platform to screen for an abnormal semen analysis would obviate the need for a clinic visit and provide preliminary data to guide referrals. Our prototype device has been extensively tested with clinical semen samples. The preliminary results presented are robust and unbiased and patient results are based on blind evaluation of the technology by comparing our microchip results with standard methods. In this Fast Track SBIR project we will further optimize the design parameters and develop a best in class, cellphone-based semen analysis device that could be marketed to a) for home based testing and b) as an inexpensive alternative to CASA in IVF clinics.