| 초록 |
South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world – slightly less than 1.1 births per woman. Government has suggested numerous policies to solve the low birth rates but those policies have been ineffective. Then, what can our engineers do for it? This presentation will briefly introduce the assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and present multidisciplinary efforts on the development of technologies in ART. Specifically, this presentation will deal with i) A microfluidic system that improves in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology by recreating spatio-temporal patterns of chemical and fluid mechanical environments that cells may experience in the body, ii) Microfluidic systems for single cell analysis: embryo metabolism and controlled cryoprotectant loading profiles, iii) Microcapillary heat and mass transfer system for “ice-free” cryopreservation (or vitrification) of cells. |
