Slow-swimming sperm is one of the major causes of infertility. To address this problem, researchers from the Institute for Integrative Nanosciences at IFW Dresden, Germany are offering a solution: "spermbots," which are small micromotors that can propel sperm toward the egg.
The scientists got the idea for "spermbots" from previous research on micromotors, according to a press release. They created metal helices that could fit around the tail of a sperm. A rotating magnetic field controls the helices and drives the sperm cells toward the egg. When a sperm cell reaches the egg, the helix is released.
Couples who have difficulty conceiving often turn to artificial insemination. The procedure is simpler and less expensive than other methods of assisted fertilization. However, its success rate is less than 30 percent, according to the Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority in the U.K. Vitro fertilization, a more effective process, is more complicated and more expensive.
While further studies need to be carried out before the "spermbots" can be cleared for clinical trials, the researchers believe that the technology could help women who are trying to conceive, as their initial test gave encouraging results.
"Despite the fact that there still remain some challenges on the way to achieve successful fertilization with artificially motorized sperms, we believe that the potential of this novel approach toward assisted reproduction can be already put into perspective with the present work," the authors wrote.
The study was published in the Dec. 21, 2015 issue of the journal Nano Letters.
