Project description
Understanding collective sperm movement
The successful outcome of fertilisation does not solely rely on individual sperm cells but is significantly influenced by their collective movement patterns within the complex female reproductive tract. This confined and fluid-like environment impacts how sperm form groups, streams, or swirling patterns. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Spermotion project aims to delineate the collective behaviour of sperm cells. The research methodology involves the utilisation of microfluidic devices to recreate the native conditions of the reproductive tract, enabling the monitoring of sperm movement. Using advanced imaging and artificial intelligence, researchers will study how sperm from different individuals interact, uncovering cooperative or competitive patterns. The findings could improve fertility diagnostics and support applications in biodiversity conservation.
Objective
Collective motion of spermatozoa within the confined, viscoelastic milieu of the female reproductive tract is an underexplored determinant of fertilisation success. This MSCA project will uncover the physical rules that organise dense sperm suspensions into clusters, streams and turbulence-like flows, and test how environmental architecture and inter-ejaculate competition modulate these states. We will engineer physiologically inspired microfluidic landscapes with controlled curvature, viscosity/viscoelastic gradients and shear; record dynamics via phase-contrast and dual-colour fluorescence at high spatiotemporal resolution; and quantify both flow fields (PIV/PTV) and single-cell trajectories using deep-learning trackers. Mixed-donor experiments with spectrally barcoded sperm will reveal whether genetically distinct populations interact neutrally, cooperatively or competitively under confinement. These data will drive multi-scale theory—2D/3D agent-based simulations with hydrodynamic/alignment interactions and coarse-grained continuum models—closing the loop between prediction and device design. Hosted at Warwick’s CMCB (Kantsler: microfluidics; Turner: theory), the work will deliver open datasets, code and validated metrics of collective motility, and seed translation with Cytoswim toward diagnostics that assess “interaction-driven quality” rather than isolated single-cell parameters. Beyond fundamental advances in wet active matter, the outcomes will support animal fertility management in agriculture and conservation, aligning with EU priorities on food security and biodiversity.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences classical mechanics fluid mechanics microfluidics
- social sciences sociology demography fertility
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CV4 8UW COVENTRY
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.