Faster, Safer IVF: Smart Chip Cleans Eggs in Seconds

A breakthrough chip uses micro-vibrations to clean eggs quickly and safely, boosting efficiency in IVF.

In fertility treatments like assisted reproductive technologies (ART), including IVF and ICSI, an important step is cleaning the egg by removing the surrounding cumulus cells. This is usually done by doctors or laboratory personnel manually, which is actually tedious and time-consuming.

A new study has developed a smart chip that uses micro-vibrations and special patterns to automatically clean eggs, making the process faster and more reliable ().

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TOP INSIGHT

Did You Know?
Eggs cleaned in 30 seconds with 93.1% fertilization success—faster with this new vibration-powered chip, which is as safe as manual IVF methods. #ivf #medindia

How the chip works

The chip has a spiral design made of tiny pillars. When it vibrates, it creates a swirling flow of liquid (at 200 Hz using a piezoelectric XY stage). This flow pushes away the small cumulus cells but leaves the larger egg safely in place. The entire cleaning process takes less than half a minute.

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Faster Than Manual Techniques

The new chip was able to clean up to 23 cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) simultaneously in about 30 seconds, which is much faster than manual techniques. It works for both fresh and frozen eggs, and it uses less enzyme than the usual methods, lowering the risk of damaging the eggs.

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Improved Fertilization Rate

To check for the efficiency, the fertilization rate was compared between manually cleaned oocytes and oocyte complexes treated with the new chip. The fertilization rate was 93.1% for vibration-induced flow (VIF) versus 90.7% for manual pipetting. This shows the new method is just as safe and effective as traditional techniques.

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Possible Advantages

Reduces the need for highly trained staff
Results more consistent
Lower costs
Easy to use
Small and compact for laboratory use
Can also be used for sorting other cell types

This new vibrating chip makes egg cleaning for IVF simple, fast, and reliable. It could become a powerful tool in fertility labs, improving the chances of success for couples while making treatments more widely accessible.

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