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Sperm Evaluation Using the Comet Assay

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Abstract

The criteria established by the World Health Organization to characterize sperm quality are valuable in establishing an initial fertility diagnosis, but they are poor predictors of fertility and do not assess sperm nuclear material. However, the latter has been proven to be sensitive to a wide range of agents and to play a crucial role in the success of assisted reproductive technologies, including intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Among available sperm chromatin quality assays, the comet assay presents the advantage of collecting data at the level of the single cell, opening the possibility of analysis to severely oligozoospermic patients. However, the output of the assay and the sensitivity of unwound sperm DNA make comet assessment a low throughput and reportedly variable procedure. In this chapter, we present the principle behind the comet assay as well as technique variations associated with this assay. We highlight recent improvements through the development of HT-COMET, a novel standardized high throughput method opening the way to personalized sperm chromatin quality prognosis. Finally, we discuss the applicability of the comet method to the clinic, as well as its prognostic value for the success of ICSI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Océane Albert & Bernard Robaire

Authors
  1. Océane Albert
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  2. Bernard Robaire
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Correspondence to Bernard Robaire .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA

    Gianpiero D. Palermo

  2. Center for Advanced Genetics, San Clemente, California, USA

    E. Scott Sills

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Albert, O., Robaire, B. (2018). Sperm Evaluation Using the Comet Assay. In: Palermo, G., Sills, E. (eds) Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70497-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70497-5_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70496-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70497-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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