UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
The goal of this project is to examine the mechanisms of sperm capacitation and the role of polycystic kidney disease proteins in capacitation. These studies require detailed examination of sperm motility and can best be carried out using a Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA) system. No systems are available in at the University of Massachusetts Medical School or at any other sites in Worcester, MA. As a result, we were forced to travel to the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst, which required a 3 hour round trip and so slowed the pace of our work. Funds were requested to purchase a system for our own lab. This equipment has been purchased, has arrived in the laboratory, and we are just beginning to use it.