Sperm Sexing Data Platform

Project description

Sexing by Self-Propulsion is a research project that explores a new approach to sex selection in animal breeding. By studying differences in how X- and Y-bearing sperm cells move, the project aims to develop a gentler, more cost-effective alternative to traditional sorting methods that rely on fluorescent dyes or electric fields.

Our contribution combines research and software development. We are developing Microspy, a web-based data platform that helps researchers organize experimental data, manage microscopy videos, and analyze sperm movement patterns across different experimental conditions, including automated image analysis, tracking, and quantification.

What we like about the project

We love this project because it supports meaningful research. Animal welfare matters to us, and we value the opportunity to contribute to research that could make breeding practices gentler and more efficient.

We also love that it comes with Interesting technical challenges. A single experiment can generate dozens of videos, each several gigabytes in size. Tracking hundreds of sperm cells with overlapping, intersecting trajectories while keeping the data organized and accessible makes this an especially interesting software engineering challenge.