Gold’s high density, among other characteristics, renders it useful in many types of clinical tests. Now, a British company has devised an at-home male fertility test that relies on these characteristics.
The system, invented by scientists at London-based Genosis, goes beyond conventional lab tests that confirm sperm motility (speed and swimming power). The sperm are put into a container and mucus is added. Only active sperm are able to swim through the mucus; these are then siphoned off and tagged with shreds of gold as they pass by a check point. Their numbers are detected by the brightness of the gold; the brighter the gold, the higher the number of active sperm present. Gold’s high density and inactivity with chemicals in the human body render it perfect for such testing.
According to investor Christopher Barratt, who is also a professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Birmingham in the U.K., the test takes about 40 minutes. Barratt presented his invention at a recent conference on the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Switzerland. He said it has been tested on 50 men and has an accuracy level of 95%.
Fertility experts say that in about 40% of infertility cases, low sperm count or motility is the cause. Barratt hopes that this home testing kit will spur men to get medical help earlier than has been the case (until now, couples were advised to wait for one year before seeking help from a fertility specialist).
“The test cannot diagnose all causes of male fertility,” cautions Barratt. “However, it will identify the vast majority of cases.”
The kit was developed over five years at a cost of $5 million. It could be on the market by March 2002.
— The preceding is an excerpt from Gold News, a publication of the Washington, D.C.-based Gold Institute.
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