America scientists have made a breakthrough in fertility treatment, after discovering a 'sperm magnet' that assists with artificial insemination. The new technique allows the extraction of healthy sperm while rejecting those with genetic defects, Reuters reports.

Advertisement

Current process might pose genetic risks
The current process whereby sperm is injected directly into an egg using a process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), can be risky. During normal fertilisation, only the strongest sperm will get the chance to fertilise the egg. During ICSI, a genetically damaged sperm could be chosen - going against the natural selection process.

According to the report, lead researcher Professor Gabor Huszar from Yale University believes that this method could pass on chromosome abnormalities. "This is all speculation, but what we do know is that using this new sperm selection method we have a chance of eliminating these concerns," Huszar told the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology.

Attracting the right kind of sperm
Huszar and his research team at Yale found a close correlation between immature sperm and the frequency of aneuploidies - where sperm have abnormal numbers of each chromosome.

The researchers found that a sperm protein called HspA2 is involved in binding sperm to a molecule in the female reproductive tract called hyaluronic acid, according to the report. The sperm attracted to the acid tended to be more mature with fewer genetic defects.

Using hyaluronic acid as a kind of 'mature sperm magnet' they could attract more mature sperm with fewer chromosome problems.

The researchers found that they could reduce the chromosome-abnormal sperm cells by four or five times using this method. – (Health24)

Read more about fertility:
Be more fertile and make a healthier baby
Boy or girl? You decide
Fertility declines sooner thought
Fertility treatments send multiple births soaring

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Analyst Developer (Contract) R25,000-35,000 Per Month Western Cape Senior Accountant R300,000-360,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - North/Sandton Assistant Financial Manager (Contract) R300,000-360,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - North/Sandton Accounts Payable Team Leader R300,000-350,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Financial Manager R500,000-600,000 Per Annum Cost To Company South Africa Corporate Finance Manager (Chartered Accountant) AA preferred R500,000-620,000 Per Annum Cost To Company South Africa Senior PHP Developer Western Cape Data Capturer Gauteng - Pretoria Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job