AI Innovation Offers Hope for Male Infertility

Infertility affects around 7% of males globally, making it a significant concern. There is reason to be optimistic since artificial intelligence (AI) is set to transform the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility. Dr. Steven Vasilescu, a UTS alumnus and biomedical engineer, founded NeoGenix Biosciences and created groundbreaking artificial intelligence software called SpermSearch, which promises to address this urgent issue with remarkable speed and precision. 

According to BBC, SpermSearch was established to assist men suffering from non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), a condition in which they have no sperm in their ejaculate. A tiny sample of testicles is taken and examined under a microscope for viable sperm in traditional NOA testing. Because of the intricacy of tissue samples, this time-consuming process might take up to seven hours, and mistakes are conceivable. 

SpermSearch, on the other hand, uses artificial intelligence to significantly accelerate the procedure. With hundreds of photos of tissue samples, the UTS biomedical engineering division provided great instruction. According to the published research, SpermSearch is 1,000 times faster than an expert embryologist. 

It cannot be overstated that embryologists should not anticipate SpermSearch to take their position. Dr. Sarah Martins da Silva, a clinical reader and reproductive health expert at the University of Dundee, highlights the importance of the situation. Because there is a limited window of opportunity for fertilization following egg extraction, a precise and timely diagnosis is critical.  

Male infertility is becoming more widespread as a result of the previous four decades’ fall in male fertility. Tobacco use and secondhand smoke are two environmental hazards, as are dietary deficiencies, inadequate physical activity, and stress. To address this important issue, researchers at the University of Birmingham, lead by Dr. Meurig Gallagher, are using cutting-edge tools such as imaging software to track the survival of sperm tails. 

The single cell gel electrophoresis technology developed by the Belfast-based reproductive enterprise Examen is also interesting. Although medical progress may be slow, scientists anticipate exciting new discoveries in artificial intelligence in the near future. SpermSearch, for example, has achieved the proof-of-concept stage despite having just seven patients in its first studies.

Typically, it takes two to five years to transition into mass manufacturing. Furthermore, the procedure is mostly meant for males with NOA. These new discoveries, on the other hand, provide couples who have been unable to conceive a glimpse of hope. Dr. Vasilescu and his UTS team are aiming to bring SpermSearch into clinical trials and achieve a live pregnancy so that more men can have their own children.

SpermSearch, an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tool, has the potential to boost embryologists’ productivity and precision, perhaps identifying viable sperm that would have gone unnoticed earlier. These discoveries offer an encouraging next step in the treatment of infertility, providing couples with reproductive health options they may not have had previously.