| abstract |
Method and corresponding apparatus for characterizing animal spermatozoa, intended to distinguish and separate spermatozoa carrying the Y chromosome from those carrying the X chromosome, said method being based on the known phenotype differences between the two types of spermatozoa and said apparatus being based on the use of microcantilevers, comprising one or more suspended lever micrometric structures (30a, 30b), single or arranged in parallel, with an integrated microfluidic circulation system (301) in which a fluid is circulated containing a mixed sperm cell population; the differentiation of the spermatozoa can occur: 1) in a static manner, via detection of the bending of the microcantilever at the passage of the spermatozoa in the integrated circulation system; 2) in a dynamic manner, via detection of the variation of the phase difference between an actuation signal for oscillating the microcantilever and the response signal of the transducer, or of the variation of the resonance frequency of the microcantilever. |