Conceivable Life Sciences New York City has created a pioneering automated fertility system. This ground-breaking technology has now accomplished not only conception, but brought an embryo to a viable live birth. This innovative technology, designed to automate the complex process of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), was performed remotely in Guadalajara, Mexico, with engineers and embryologists in Hudson, New York overseeing each step.
Inspired by the laundry-folding machine, the automated system has flipped fertility treatments on their head. It seeks to automate ICSI techniques that historically have relied on human touch. Their goal is to have “end-to-end automation” of ICSI. They emphasize that human judgment will need to be an integral part of the process.
The Role of Automation in ICSI
ICSI is a decades-old technique of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), first used in the 1990s. The process itself is quite simple, as it entails injecting a single sperm directly into an egg to help fertilization occur. With an automated system developed by Conceivable Life Sciences, the system controls all 23 steps in the ICSI process.
Step 1 First, you’ll choose the best sperm for injection by assessing certain criteria such as cell morphology. Then, through a process known as preimplantation genetic testing, you will pick the best shot embryos based on chromosomal appearance and the ability to implant within the uterine wall. The team conducted this experiment using just eight egg cells and successfully produced four embryos, with five eggs used.
The manual group achieved fertilization for all three eggs, but failed to produce any embryos. The mechanized process then proves its astounding productivity by finishing the fertilization of each egg in an average of 9 minutes 56 seconds. The handbook process only requires 1 minute 22 seconds per egg.
Breakthrough in Fertility Technology
The release of a new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is a groundbreaking development in the art and science of reproductive technology. By defining an algorithm with optimal parameters, sperm selection can be performed with great precision. It further improves embryo viability, decreasing human mistakes and preventing the degeneration of eggs while the procedure is taking place.
Alejandro Chavez-Badiola, a key member of the Conceivable Life Sciences team, expressed pride in their achievement:
“We have created a platform that has for the first time ever standardized ICSI.”
The automation increases both the productivity and shorter time to conceiving through IVF. Dr. Emily Jungheim noted that
“Experienced, manual work in the embryology laboratory is a rate-limiting step in the IVF laboratory,” adding that “if done right, the tools described in the paper could improve access to and scalability of IVF.”
Implications for Future Fertility Treatments
The ramifications of this automated mechanism are deeper than they may first appear. By formalizing intricate techniques such as ICSI, it raises the bar for uniformity and dependability in the art of fertility treatment. The study describing this revolutionary technology was recently published in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online. Most importantly, it showcases the technology’s potential to transform the entire field in remarkable ways.
Fertility challenges are a common struggle for millions of couples worldwide. Innovations like this new automated system have the potential to improve success rates and increase accessibility, which is encouraging. With the telehealth monitoring feature, specialists can monitor procedures from afar. This is particularly advantageous in areas with restricted access to high-quality ART.
