C Ainsworth

Publications (2)8.95 Total impact

• Article: First recorded pregnancy and normal birth after ICSI using electrophoretically isolated spermatozoa.

  C Ainsworth, B Nixon, R P S Jansen, R J Aitken
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  ABSTRACT: DNA damage in the male germ line is associated with poor fertilization and cleavage rates, impaired embryo quality and early pregnancy loss. Given these associations, embryologists are keen to develop techniques that will allow the selection of viable spermatozoa exhibiting low levels of DNA damage for assisted conception purposes. In this article, we describe a novel electrophoretic approach for the rapid isolation of cells possessing little DNA damage. The limits of the method were examined using cryostored and snap-frozen semen samples as well as testicular biopsy material. In addition, clinical utility was demonstrated in a case study involving treatment of a patient exhibiting persistently high levels of DNA damage in his spermatozoa. From a range of difficult starting materials (biopsies, cryostored semen and snap-frozen sperm suspensions), the electrophoretic system rapidly isolated populations of motile, viable, morphologically normal spermatozoa exhibiting high levels of DNA integrity. Clinical application in a couple suffering from long-term infertility associated with extensive DNA damage in the male germ line led to the first human pregnancy following such electrophoretic sperm isolation. The electrophoretic procedure holds promise as a convenient method for the rapid preparation of high-quality spermatozoa for assisted conception purposes.
  Human Reproduction 02/2007; 22(1):197-200. · 4.47 Impact Factor
• Article: Development of a novel electrophoretic system for the isolation of human spermatozoa.

  C Ainsworth, B Nixon, R J Aitken
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  ABSTRACT: Optimization of assisted conception outcomes involves the development of rapid, safe, effective techniques for the isolation of functional human spermatozoa free from significant DNA damage. In this study we describe a novel electrophoretic sperm isolation technique that achieves these objectives. The separation system consisted of a cassette comprising two 400 mul chambers separated by a polycarbonate filter containing 5 micromol/l pores and bounded by a 15 kDa polyacrylamide membrane to allow the free circulation of buffer. Semen was introduced into one chamber, current applied (75 mA at variable voltage) and within seconds a purified suspension of spermatozoa could be collected from the adjacent chamber. These cells were assessed for their count, viability, motility, morphology and DNA integrity. The suspensions generated by the electrophoretic separation technique contained motile, viable, morphologically normal spermatozoa and exhibited low levels of DNA damage. Moreover, these cell suspensions were free from contaminating cells, including leukocytes. The technique was comparable to discontinuous gradient centrifugation except that it took a fraction of the time and generated cells with significantly less DNA damage. Electrophoretic separation represents a highly effective, novel approach for the isolation of spermatozoa for assisted conception purposes.
  Human Reproduction 09/2005; 20(8):2261-70. · 4.47 Impact Factor