On-chip enucleation of oocyte by magnetically driven microtools with ultrasonic vibration

This paper describes an innovative driving method for magnetically driven microtools (MMT). 1.1 μm positioning accuracy of the MMT was obtained by applying a piezoelectric ceramic, which induced nanoscale vibration to the microfluidic chip, and reducing the friction on the MMT. Using this drive method, the enucleation process was conducted by dual-arm MMT. Permanent magnets are used to supply the driving power to the MMT allowing sufficient positioning accuracy to cut oocytes precisely. The nucleus was cut within 10 s, and the removed area was less than 25% of the original oocyte.