Turbo-charged robotic sperm are the future of infertility treatments, scientists say
Robotic sperm could help improve women’s reproductive health
- Scientists have developed turbo-charged robotic sperm by coating them with magnetic particles, enabling them to be tracked and steered for the first time.
- This breakthrough could allow medicine to be loaded directly into sperm cells, serving as vehicles to deliver treatments to hard-to-access organs like the uterus or fallopian tubes.
- The robotic sperm may help treat infertility-causing conditions affecting millions of women, including uterine cancer, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids.
- The technology could also provide a closer look into the body during fertilization, helping to understand sperm transport and unexplained infertility, and potentially improving IVF techniques.
- While more work is needed before clinical trials, initial tests showed the magnetic sperm were not toxic to uterine cells even after three days of exposure.