Latest news with #ConceivableLifeSciences
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First baby born from robot-controlled IVF in clinical trial
The world's first baby conceived through robot-controlled fertilization has been born, researchers say. The boy was born to a 40-year-old woman in Guadalajara, Mexico, following a previous in vitro fertilization attempt that had produced only one mature egg and no embryos, researchers said. Her newborn was conceived using a fully automated, digitally controlled version of an IVF procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI. Remote operators in Guadalajara and in New York -- some 2,300 miles apart -- oversaw the automated system as it selected a sperm, prepared it for injection, and then injected it into a waiting egg. In ICSI, skilled lab technicians manually inject a single sperm directly into an egg, potentially creating an embryo that can then be implanted into the mother. The process involves 23 painstaking steps, and results can vary between technicians, researchers said. To try to improve the process, a research team created an automated workstation in which these steps are performed under AI control or under the digital control of a remote operator. 'With AI, the system autonomously selects sperm and precisely immobilizes its midsection with a laser ready for injection - executing this rapid, precise process with a level of accuracy beyond human capability," lead researcher Gerardo Mendizabal Ruiz, director of the Computational Perception Laboratory at the University of Guadalajara, said in a news release. For this study, five eggs were assigned to fertilization with the automated ISCI system, while three were fertilized by human lab technicians using standard methods. The eggs came from a 23-year-old donor, and were injected with sperm from the new mother's 43-year-old partner. Four of the five injected eggs in the automated system achieved fertilization, compared with all three in the standard method group. One high-quality embryo fertilized with the automated system was transferred into the mother, who became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy, researchers said. The system "represents a transformative solution that promises to enhance precision, improve efficiency, and ensure consistent outcomes," Jacques Cohen, an embryologist with Conceivable Life Sciences in New York, said in a news release. Conceivable Life Sciences created the automated system and funded this clinical trial. The entire automated fertilization procedure took an average of about 10 minutes per egg, slightly longer than routine, manual ICSI, researchers reported. "We expect to reduce procedure time significantly" as the automated process is further honed, Mendizabal-Ruiz said. Next, researchers plan to validate the system's effectiveness by testing its performance in a clinical trial involving more cases. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online. More information The Cleveland Clinic has more on intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Express Tribune
11-04-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
World's first baby born via AI-powered IVF system
What a medical professional sees when they supervise the IVF procedure via a livestream Photo: Conceivable Life Sciences Listen to article A baby has been born following a form of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) largely carried out by a machine, in what researchers say is a world first. The development could signal a major shift in how fertility treatments are performed. The machine, developed by New York-based biotech firm Conceivable Life Sciences, was used to complete 23 critical steps of a procedure known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A human operator supervised the process remotely via livestream, initiating each step with the press of a button. "This level of automation could reduce the chance of human error and fatigue affecting the outcomes," said Jacques Cohen, co-founder of the company and an expert in assisted reproduction. In ICSI, a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, a technique often used when male infertility is involved. However, the manual nature of the process requires extreme precision and concentration, making it prone to errors. To test the automated system, researchers recruited a couple struggling with infertility. The male partner's sperm had limited motility, and the female partner received donor eggs due to ovulatory issues. Of the eight donor eggs, five were fertilised using the automated system, and three through conventional manual ICSI. All eight developed into embryos. An AI model then evaluated the embryos, selecting two deemed most viable—both from the automated process. One embryo failed to implant, but the other resulted in the successful birth. Joyce Harper, a reproductive science professor at University College London, described the result as an "exciting proof-of-concept" but noted that larger, controlled trials would be needed to determine if the system is more effective than manual IVF. The system incorporates artificial intelligence to choose optimal sperm based on visual cues and uses a laser to immobilise them before injection. Though not immediately expected to become widespread due to cost, Cohen believes the expense will decrease with further development and standardisation.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists announce first baby born via robotic sperm injection system
In a groundbreaking advancement for assisted reproduction, a baby has been born following fertilization through a fully automated and digitally controlled intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) system—a first in medical history. This achievement signifies a major leap in the field of in vitro fertilization (IVF), where automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly reshaping clinical practices. In the early stages of ICSI (which was developed in the 1990s and is now a commonly practiced procedure), a trained embryologist would use a needle to inject a single sperm cell into a mature egg. However, the new system developed by a collaborative team from Conceivable Life Sciences, operating in New York and Guadalajara, Mexico, has taken that process out of human hands. Their AI-powered platform automates all 23 steps of the standard ICSI procedure, offering unmatched accuracy and consistency. This new ICSI system integrates modern robotics and AI technology to perform the most sensitive tasks in microinjection. With its advanced algorithms, AI controls much more than just the injection. It also uses lasers to precisely immobilize selected sperm cells and guides them into the egg with unparalleled accuracy, well beyond human performance. The automation of the ICSI process "represents a transformative solution that promises to enhance precision, improve efficiency, and ensure consistent outcomes" through reduced variability and work-related stress on human operators, says Dr Jacques Cohen. In the case that led to this historic birth, a 40-year-old woman who had previously failed an IVF attempt participated in the study. Five donor eggs were fertilized using the automated ICSI system, while three served as controls for manual ICSI performed by the clinic staff. The remote-controlled automated procedure from New York and Guadalajara took just under ten minutes per egg. Researchers describe the faster interactive processes as still in experimental stages but predict upcoming refinements will increase speed. Of the five eggs fertilized with the automated system, four developed normally. A resulting blastocyst, created through remote-controlled injection from 3,700 kilometers away, was frozen and later transferred back into the patient's uterus. The pregnancy proceeded without complication, culminating in the birth of a healthy baby boy. The AI system had complete automation control over every step of ICSI. However, innovating embryo culture, cryopreservation, and even the selection and injection of sperm had already been automated in many fertility labs previously. Even in these pilot stages, success paves the way for further endeavors with scope for clinical tests and later app-wide implementation. 'With AI,' explained Professor Mendizabal-Ruiz, 'the system autonomously selects sperm and precisely immobolises its midsection with a laser ready for injection - executing this rapid, precise process with a level of accuracy beyond human capability.' As IVF laboratories continue to integrate automation across embryo assessment, storage, and fertilization, the birth of this child represents a major milestone. It's not only proof that fully automated fertilization is possible but also a glimpse into the future of precision-driven fertility care. The study has been published in Reproductive BioMedicine Online.
