Infertility is a major problem that impacts human reproduction globally, affecting approximately 17.5% of couples of reproductive ages according to WHO (World Health Organization). In this regard, although more and more infertile couples are achieving viable pregnancies thanks to assisted reproductive technologies, success rates still have room for improvement. In addition, research efforts have mainly focused on female factor infertility, which has significantly slowed down research into male factor infertility. However, male factor infertility accounts for approximately 40-50% of all infertility cases and spermatozoa are known to contribute to embryo quality, making it essential to select a suitable spermatozoon for fertilization.
Currently, some methods exist to select “good spermatozoa” for its use in assisted reproductive treatments, most of them based on sperm motility, but the selection needs to be optimized.

Taking into account the need to improve sperm selection and considering the advantages that microfluidics could offer, such as scalability and reduction of time, we have developed a novel patented sperm selection strategy, hazi®,a single-use medical device which combines microfluidics with molecular biomarkers to selects spermatozoa with  better quality for ART applications.

hazi® provides an unprecedented dual sperm selection methodology based on both molecular and physiological criteria: 

1. Selective Immobilization: sperm marked with a negative biomarker are immobilized selectively, ensuring that only sperm lacking the biomarker related to poor sperm quality. 
2. Physiological Selection: Sperm with greater motility reach the exit areas of the microfluidic chamber, effectively simulating natural physiological selection.

Our product, hazi®, is a sperm selection device designed to select the best quality sperm, by simutaling natural sperm selection with the addition of a molecular selection. The results? A 38% improvement in ART success rates in controlled studies.

Until recently, the study of sperm physiology was not a primary focus in infertility research. However, emerging evidence has highlighted the crucial role that spermatozoa play not only in fertilization but also in early embryonic development and therefore in the ART outcomes. Despite advancements in ART, traditional semen analysis—used as a standard routine to assess male fertility—remains limited. Current methodologies lack specific cellular markers that could help identify sperm with the highest fertilization potential. This gap in diagnosis is significant, given that 1 in 6 couples globally still face challenges in achieving pregnancy, often due to sperm defects that go undetected in conventional evaluations. With this growing recognition of sperm physiology's importance, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions to address these shortcomings in male infertility treatment.