Accurate dispensing system for single oocytes using air ejection

In this study, we propose a new approach to increase the success rate of single-oocyte dispensing and investigate the subsequent viability of the dispensed oocytes. We used a pair of capacitance sensors placed in a microfluidic chip to detect the oocyte, and custom-designed a special buffer zone in the microchannel to decelerate the flow velocity and reduce the hydraulic pressure acting on the oocyte. In the buffer zone, a semicircular bay, formed by equally spaced micropillars, is used to stop the oocyte at the dispensing nozzle hole. Finally, the oocyte is ejected by airflow to the culture array. The novel feature of the developed microfluidic system is that the extraordinary improvement in success rate is accompanied by a lack of change in oocyte survival rate (as assessed by a comparison of survival rates before and after the dispensing procedure). By using this device, we achieved a highly accurate single-oocyte dispensing process with a success rate of 100%. The oocyte survival rate is approximately 70%, regardless of whether or not the oocyte is dispensed. The newly proposed system has the advantages of high operation speed and potential usage for two-dimensional micropatterning. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.