A 3-D printed vitrification device integrated with French straws

Nolan J Tiersch; Jacqueline Paulsen; Yue Liu; Terrence R Tiersch

doi:10.1016/j.ohx.2022.e00366

A 3-D printed vitrification device integrated with French straws

HardwareX. 2022 Oct 4:12:e00366. doi: 10.1016/j.ohx.2022.e00366. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Authors

Nolan J Tiersch¹, Jacqueline Paulsen², Yue Liu^{2

3}, Terrence R Tiersch³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
² Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Louisiana State University and Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
³ Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70820, USA.

Abstract

The goal of this work was to develop prototypes of open-hardware vitrification devices for sperm cryopreservation that can be integrated with existing straw platforms. The open-hardware Vitrification Device for French Straws (VD-FS) is low-cost, customizable, 3-D printable, standardized, and allows long-term sample storage and identification. The feasibility was shown for vitrifying and storing samples with multiple configurations. The results can be improved by design alternation and evaluation of various vitrification solutions. This is the first complete open-hardware vitrification device that can be integrated with existing French-straw storage systems, providing a foundation for future community-level modifications and improvements.

Keywords: 3-D printing; French straws; Germplasm repositories; Open hardware; Sperm Cryopreservation; Vitrification.