IVF remains one of the most exciting modern scientific developments and continues to have a tremendous impact on people's lives. Since its beginnings, scientists have studied and critically analysed the techniques in order to find ways to improve outcomes; however, little has changed with the actual technology and equipment of IVF. Semen is still processed in test tubes and fertilization and culture still occurs in culture dishes. New technological possibilities exist with the burgeoning advancement of microfluidic technology. Microfluidics is based on the behaviour of liquids in a microenvironment. Although a young field, many developments have occurred which demonstrate the potential of this technology for IVF. In this review, we briefly discuss the physical principles of microfluidics and highlight some previous utilizations of this technology, ranging from chemical analysis to cell sorting. We then present the designs and outcomes for microfluidic devices utilized thus far for each step in IVF: gamete isolation and processing, fertilization, and embryo culture. Finally, we discuss and speculate on the ultimate goal of this technology--development of a single, integrated unit for in-vitro assisted reproduction techniques.

中文翻译：

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用微流体技术重新考虑配子/胚胎分离和培养。

试管婴儿仍然是最激动人心的现代科学发展之一，并继续对人们的生活产生巨大影响。从一开始，科学家就对这些技术进行了研究和批判性分析，以找到改善结果的方法。但是，体外受精的实际技术和设备几乎没有改变。精液仍在试管中处理，施肥和培养仍在培养皿中进行。随着微流体技术的迅速发展，存在着新的技术可能性。微流体技术基于微环境中液体的行为。尽管是一个年轻的领域，但已经发生了许多发展，这些发展证明了该技术在体外受精中的潜力。在这篇评论中 我们简要讨论了微流体的物理原理，并重点介绍了该技术以前的一些应用，从化学分析到细胞分选。然后，我们介绍了迄今为止用于IVF每个步骤的微流体装置的设计和结果：配子分离和加工，受精和胚胎培养。最后，我们讨论并推测了这项技术的最终目标-开发用于体外辅助生殖技术的单个集成单元。