300 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 02115 (617) 355-6000 Research: Electrical Activity of a Sperm Cell A tiny electrode captures, for the first time, the electrical activity of a single sperm cell. This technically difficult maneuver provides the first glimpse of the currents that flow across the sperm's outer membrane as calcium enters. This influx -- through a calcium channel called CatSper, found only in the tails of mature sperm -- is what gives sperm the burst of swimming power needed to reach the egg. Mice that are deficient in CatSper are infertile; their sperm are less motile and show less directed movement. Hydra Biosciences (Cambridge, MA) is now looking for ways to block the CatSper channel to create a male contraceptive. Image courtesy Yuriy Kirichok, PhD, Betsy Navarro, PhD, and David Clapham, MD, PhD. Note: The colors shown are not the true colors of the cells, and the photograph has been modified and enhanced for clarity. Go to the press release... The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your personal health care professional. Copyright © Children's Hospital Boston. All rights reserved.