CatFlux

CatSper - the sperm's key to the egg

In order for a sperm to fertilize an egg, it must penetrate its protective coating. This requires CatSper, a large protein complex in the sperm flagellum.

It is known that the loss of CatSper function is associated with male infertility. If CatSper is damaged, the sperm cannot penetrate the egg's coating and fertilization fails.

In cases of CatSper-related infertility, medically assisted reproduction through IUI (insemination) and IVF is doomed to fail. Affected couples need ICSI procedure to conceive a child.

However, CatSper-related infertility is not detectable by standard semen analysis.

Current studies suggest that approximately one in a hundred infertile men with inadequate semen analysis suffer from the loss of CatSper function. The cause is a genetic defect in one of the fifteen CatSper subunits. Failure of semen analysis to detect CatSper-related infertility has serious consequences: the couple is often not recognized as infertile. Alternatively, a diagnosis of “unexplained infertility” is made and attempts at medical reproduction using IUI or IVF are made, but are doomed to a failure.

“CatFlux” offers andrology laboratories a CE-certified solution that allows the innovative CatSper-Test to be performed in parallel with standard semen analysis.

To perform the test, a small portion of the ejaculate (40 µl) is diluted with our developed CatFlux buffers. After sixty minutes of incubation, the percentage of motile sperm is analyzed under a microscope. Sperm with intact CatSper function are immobile in the CatFlux test buffer. Conversely, sperm that continue to float in the CatFlux test buffer are a clear sign of loss of CatSper function.

Performing the CatSper test using CatFlux allows for early detection of CatSper-related infertility and evidence-based infertility treatment selection.