Bio-electrosprayed bovine sperm remain viable and fertilize oocytes

Since the discovery of bio-electrosprays, the technology has undergone a rigorous developmental program, which saw the technology exposing to well over 600 cell types ranging from primary, immortalized including stem cells to whole fertilized embryos. Those studies interrogated the post-treated cells in comparison to control cells (cells not exposed to bio-electrosprays) through both well-established clinical read outs (flow cytometry, karyotypic, and gene microarray studies) and biological assays, demonstrating the ability of bio-electrosprays to directly and safely handle the most advanced and complex materials known to humankind, namely, living cells. Since our previous work demonstrated bio-electrospray's ability to jet both human sperm and whole fertilized embryos without damaging them, from a molecular level upward, we wished to investigate if there are any functional effects brought on to the jetted sperm's ability to fertilize oocytes. Therefore, in these investigations, we spearheaded this question by demonstrating for the first time, post-bio-electrosprayed bovine sperm remains motile and viable as assessed, to finally retain their capacity to fertilize oocytes in comparison to controls. These studies pave the way for this platform biotechnology to enter investigations for applications ranging from the development of biological models, sperm analysis/sorting, to their preservation.