Sandstone Diagnostics, a Livermore, California company that spun out of the Sandia National Laboratories, won FDA clearance for the Trak male fertility system. The device allows men to measure the sperm count in their semen without having to go to the clinic. An accompanying smartphone app helps with tracking of the sperm count, but the testing device doesn’t actually connect to the smartphone to transfer results and it has to be done manually.
The Trak is essentially a centrifuge that spins disposable cartridges at a controlled rate. All you have to do is choke the chicken to produce a sample, add a few drops into a cartridge, and set it to spin. After a few moments, the sperm separates and fills up the narrow readout chamber. The more of the chamber is filled, the higher the sperm count. Markers separate the low, moderate, and optimal sections, which indicate readings of lower than 15 million per milliliter, between 15 and 55 M/mL and, and above 55 M/mL respectively.
The company claims clinical quality of the Trak test, which has been verified in a three site trial involving more than 500 hours of testing.
Sandstone is currently taking reservations for the device, with the price expected to be $160.
Product page: Trak…
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