Fertility assay
First Claim
1. A diagnostic assay for predicting sperm fertilizing potential which comprises providing 2 to 8 fragments of mammalian zona pellucida of the same oocyte, contacting a first portion of the fragments with the sperm from the same species to be assayed under binding conditions, contacting a second portion of the fragments with sperm from the same species of known fertilizing potential under binding conditions, said first and second portions having functionally equivalent sperm binding activity, and comparing the resulting sperm binding to one portion with the sperm binding to the other portion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A new diagnostic assay of sperm function has been found for infertility treatment and monitoring programs. The hemizona assay (HZA) measures tight binding of human spermatozoa to the human hemizona pellucida.
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Citations
18 Claims
- 1. A diagnostic assay for predicting sperm fertilizing potential which comprises providing 2 to 8 fragments of mammalian zona pellucida of the same oocyte, contacting a first portion of the fragments with the sperm from the same species to be assayed under binding conditions, contacting a second portion of the fragments with sperm from the same species of known fertilizing potential under binding conditions, said first and second portions having functionally equivalent sperm binding activity, and comparing the resulting sperm binding to one portion with the sperm binding to the other portion.
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10. A diagnostic assay for predicting sperm fertilizing potential which comprises contacting sperm to be assayed under binding conditions with a first portion of mammalian zona pellucida of an oocyte from the same species, contacting sperm from the same species of known fertilizing potential under binding conditions with a second separate portion of mammalian zona pellucida of the same oocyte, said first and second portions having functionally equivalent sperm binding activity, and comparing the resulting sperm binding to one portion with the sperm binding to the other portion.
- 11. A test kit for predicting sperm fertilizing potential comprising 2 to 8 separate containers each of the containers containing a one-half to one-eighth fragment of mammalian zona pellucida of the same oocyte, each of the containers containing functionally equivalent sperm binding activity.
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18. A test kit for predicting sperm fertilizing potential comprising separate containers each of which contain a different portion of mammalian zona pellucida of the same oocyte, each of the portions having functionally equivalent sperm binding activity.
Specification