[Development of microfluidic technology in reproductive researches]

Abstract

Reproduction is one of the most basic characteristics of organisms, and the guarantee of the continuation and evolution of a species. As the country with world's largest population, China has been gradually increasing its investment in research on the reproductive system in recent years, particularly in the field of basic research. The rapid development and wide application of the microfluidic technology since its birth are sufficient to explain its application prospect. Currently, infertility and birth defects are major problems in the field of reproduction. Micro-reproductive technologies, including microfluidic and organs-on-chips, are formed through the combination of a wide range of basic science and bioengineering technologies. In reproductive research, microfluidic technology display several advantages:flexible design of the microchannel shape and size to better simulate the physiological environment, the low consumption of microfluidic chip, and highly integrated microfluidic technology. Microfluidic technology has been applied to various processes including sperm vitality evaluation and screening, sperm chemotaxis, cumulus oophorus cell removal, zona pellucida removal, ootid localization and screening, fertilization, early embryo culture and reproductive organ simulation. This paper introduces the recent progress in reproductive research based on microfluidic technology and its application prospects.

Keywords: microfluidic; reproductive; reproductive microenvironment; review.