In an effort to address infertility, researchers at Cornell University have developed an innovative device that could simplify and automate the removal of oocyte cumulus, a crucial step in assisted reproductive technologies.
The chip powered by vibration not only simplifies a complex process, but also expands it to areas of the world that do not have specialized embryologists or well -funded laboratories that reduce total costs. This offers hope to millions of couples who are infertility – and makes fertility treatments more affordable in the world.
This platform is a possible game change player. It reduces the need for specialized technicians, minimizes the risks of infection and ensures consistent results-while being portable and cost-effective. “
Alireza Abbaspourrad, Associate Professor of Food and Ingredients Food and Technology in Food Science
Abbaspourrad is a co-author of “On-Chip Oocyte Cumulus Removal using vibration flow”, published on September 5 in the magazine Chip laboratory.
Doctors who cure infertility should take a critical step: gentle separate cumulus protective cells from oocytes, developing egg cells. The process, known as the removal of Cumulus (CR), is essential to evaluate oocyte ripening before sperm injection or ensuring successful fertilization after insemination in vitro fertilization.
Traditionally, the CR is based on manual peppers: By rinsing the individual oocyte repeatedly with a micropeve, the cumulus cells extract from the oocyte. However, the technique requires accuracy, expertise and significant time. Errors can lead to damaged oocytes or failed fertilization, making the process a slim and working work.
Group innovation: an overnight, open surface chip that uses vibrations, which they call vibration flow, to automate the CR. The chip has a spiral row of microplans that create an swirling flow when vibration, separating smaller cumulus cells from larger oocytes.
“The process is fast, effective, non-invasive and more consistent, while reducing manual labor and the maintenance of fetal development results,” said Amirhossein Favakeh, a prospective doctorate in Abbaspourrad’s workshop and co-author of the study. “The oocytes remain safely in the loading chamber, while the cumulus cells are scanned in an adjacent collection well.”
To ensure the safety of the technique, the group compared the fertilization and fetus growth rates between the oocytes that weaken manually and those who have been treated with flow caused by vibration. The results were almost identical: fertilization rates were 90.7% for manual pacifier and 93.1% for vibration flow, while stem cell formation rate, cell balls formed early in pregnancy were 50.0% and 43.1% respectively.
“This shows that our method does not endanger the developmental potential of oocytes,” Abbaspourrad said.
“Usually, the whole process is expensive and delicate, clinics invest a lot of time in education and it depends very much on human resources,” Abbaspourrad said. “With that, you don’t need a well -trained man to do it. And what is really important is that there is almost no chance of being damaged or losing the cell.”
Source:
Magazine report:
Favakeh, A., et al. (2025). The removal of oocytes in vibration using vibration flow. Chip laboratory. doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00414D
