SBIR-STTR Award

Spemm motion analyses and automated semen analyses are presently being perfommed by computerized systems. However, these systems are expensive ($35,000-$45,000) and they are not cost effective for most laboratories. Furthermore, it is still unclear whether the measurements that are derived from these systems have clinical relevance. At The Fertility Testing Laboratory, a new prototype system for spemm motion analysis and automated semen analysis has been developed which has comprehensive research capabilities in its basic design, but it has been streamlined for practical clinical use. This system measures spemm density, percent motility, instantaneous velocity, curvilinear velocity, net velocity, progressiveness ratio, and course direction change. Course direction change is a new measurement that allows recording the angular changes of the sperm tracks on a frame-to-frame basis. Planned research will continue with the prototype system by examining a variety of clinical specimens from infertility patients and donors, and analyzing these data with statistical analysis routines incorporated into computer software. These clinical trials will help develop a marketable system, and provide us with data to move forward into Phase II to study other new aspects of motion analysis, flash photography, and harmonic analysis.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Sperm motion analyses and automated semen analyses are presently being performed by computerized systems. However, these systems are expensive ($35-45,000) and they are not cost-effective for most laboratories. Furthermore, it is still unclear whether the measurements have clinical relevance. At The Fertility Testing Laboratory, we have developed a new prototype system for sperm motion analysis and automated semen analysis which has comprehensive research capabilities in its basic design but has bene streamlined for practical clinical use. This system (Labscan VI) measures sperm density, percent motility, instantaneous velocity, curvilinear velocity, net velocity, progressiveness ratio, and course direction change. Course direction change is a new measurement which allows us to record the angular changes of the sperm tracks on a frame-to-frame basis. Recently, we have developed a new algorithm for the acquisition of long tracks in real time and used this algorithm along with another new algorithm for harmonic track analysis (HTA). These analyses define the energy levels of the tracks and offer an entirely new classification of sperm function. We plan to continue our research with the prototype system by examining a variety of clinical specimens from infertility patients and donors and analyzing these data with the statistical modeling routines incorporated into the computer software. We believe that these clinical trials will help develop a marketable system which will become available to other laboratories at up to 50% cost saving compared to other systems.

Thesaurus Terms:
Biomedical Systems Automated Biomedical Systems Automated, Computer Assisted Diagnosis Diagnostic Quality-Standards Fertility-Infertility, Sperm Motility Human, Human Tissues, Fluids Etc. From Non-Related Sources Outside Immedia Information Dissemination, Videotapes Reproductive System Disorders Diagnosis Male (Incl. Exams)National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD)