Digital holography as a method for 3D imaging and estimating the biovolume of motile cells

Year: 2013

Authors: Merola F., Miccio L., Memmolo P., Di Caprio G., Galli A., Puglisi R., Balduzzi D., Coppola G., Netti P., Ferraro P.

Autors Affiliation: CNR INO, I-80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy; IIT CRIB, I-80125 Naples, Italy; CNR IMM, I-80131 Naples, Italy; Ist L Spallanzani, I-26027 Rivolta Dadda, Cremona, Italy.

Abstract: Sperm morphology is regarded as a significant prognostic factor for fertilization, as abnormal sperm structure is one of the most common factors in male infertility. Furthermore, obtaining accurate morphological information is an important issue with strong implications in zoo-technical industries, for example to perform sorting of species X from species Y. A challenging step forward would be the availability of a fast, high-throughput and label-free system for the measurement of physical parameters and visualization of the 3D shape of such biological specimens. Here we show a quantitative imaging approach to estimate simply and quickly the biovolume of sperm cells, combining the optical tweezers technique with digital holography, in a single and integrated set-up for a biotechnology assay process on the lab-on-a-chip scale. This approach can open the way for fast and high-throughput analysis in label-free microfluidic based cytofluorimeters and prognostic examination based on sperm morphology, thus allowing advancements in reproductive science.

Journal/Review: LAB ON A CHIP

Volume: 13 (23)      Pages from: 4512  to: 4516

More Information: Funding by the MiPAAF within the project SESSIBOV. Funding by MIUR in the framework of the research project Pon04a2_F – Aquasystem.
KeyWords: Red-blood-cells; Optical Tweezers; Bull Spermatozoa; Surface-area; Sperm Head; Volume; Tomography; Microscopy; Rotation; Morphometry
DOI: 10.1039/c3lc50515d

Citations: 129
data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-11-17
References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)
Connecting to view paper tab on IsiWeb: Click here
Connecting to view citations from IsiWeb: Click here