Innovation of Digitalized Microfluidic System with Electrowetting on Dielectric Chip in Reproductive Medicine

The continuous refinement and improvement of IVF is central to many other areas of biotechnology, which included the treatment of human infertility derivation of genetically modified animals, cryopreservation of gametes nuclear transfer, contributing to maintenance of biodiversity. Assisted reproductive technologies have been evolving for the last several decades as a combination of assisted reproduction, cellular molecular biology and genomic techniques. The in vivo fertilization of human gametes in fallopian tube is progressively forward to uterine cavity with sequential embryo development as a microfluidic biological environment. Recently, there have been many advances in nano- and microtechnology to study microfluidic biological systems. Many biological procedures have been miniaturized, which will provide scientists with a powerful platform to study biology and medicine. The ability to manipulate minute volume of liquids has the potential to accelerate developing complicated chemical and biochemical protocols by automating processes with saving reagents and high-sensitivity methods. Most microfluidic systems have been trying to achieve these goals rely on designs based on channel-based fluid mechanics, these types of designs require large amount of mechanical or electrical energy sources to move solutions throughout the system. In contrast, EWOD (electrowetting on dielectric) is a microfluidic strategy that exploits surface tension as a means of manipulating liquid droplets at current stage. An electric voltage is applied, the electric charge changes free energy on the dielectric surface, inducing a change in wet ability on the surface and contact angle of the droplet. There has been considerable work in the development of EWOD digitalized microfluidic system that are capable of transporting oocytes/embryos to a desired location, producing mammalian embryos in vitro and chemical or mechanical manipulations. To further investigate the role of EWOD digitalized microfluidic system in reproductive medicine, we intend to conduct the follow studies using a mouse model within three years of proposal: 1. Design and establish the EWOD digitalized microfluidic system used in reproduction through cross-field research, which includes the application of andrology, gamete capture and in vitro fertilization/embryo culture system. 2. To further construct the coplanar droplet manipulation platform with EWOD digitalized microfluidic system and traditional embryo culture system. 3. To investigate the efficacy of recovering mouse motile sperm with microfluidic device for the use of EWOD digitalized microfluidic system 4. To further study the basic function of EWOD digitalized microfluidic system for the microdrop with medium, with medium containing oil, with medium containing sperm, with medium containing ovum. 5. To further study the basic function of EWOD digitalized microfluidic system for the microdrop with medium containing sperm and medium containing ovum for the transportation and merging for fertilization and embryo development/culture. 6. To combined the andrology microfluidic system with EWOD digitalized microfluidic culture system as an IVF microfluidic chip system

Project ID:PC10001-0093
External Project ID:NSC98-2314-B182A-106-MY3