Why Artificial Intelligence is the Magic Tool in Fertility Treatment?

Scientists are using AI to identify embryo that is most likely to be successful

The world's first in-vitro fertilization (IVF) baby was born in the United Kingdom in 1978. The success of the artificially made baby gave hopes to the human community on their fertilization and parenthood. After four decades of intense research and trials into the field, doctors now use artificial intelligence to help parents get babies successfully. Scientists are working on embryo analysis with computer algorithms to help build families.

More than 80 million couples are affected by infertility across the globe. Around one in seven couples have trouble conceiving, which means there is a high demand for solutions such as in-vitro fertilization. Creating an embryo is a process where the ovum from the female ovary and sperm from the male are fused outside the body in a laboratory. The embryo is then placed in the female's ovary for the development of in-vitro fertilization. It has been reported that more than 5 million babies have been born from the in-vitro fertilization method. Unfortunately, not all IVF treatments turn out to be successful. Couples who need IVF to conceive a child are well aware that even the most advanced assisted reproductive technology doesn't always guarantee a baby. Therefore, doctors are seeking the help of artificial intelligence to pick the embryo that is most likely to succeed. In a normal in-vitro cycle, around 70% of the embryos are abnormal, resulting in a miscarriage or a baby with a lifelong genetic disorder. But artificial intelligence can change the routine by detecting the embryo that is more likely to grow without any problem.

The vital role of artificial intelligence in fertility

Selecting the successful embryo is the toughest process in in-vitro fertilization. Currently, the tools available for making this decision are limited, highly subjective, time-consuming, and often extremely expensive. Therefore, embryologists use their experience, observation skills, and gut feeling to choose the embryo that is most likely to be successful. To change the routine and make in-vitro fertilization process more accurate, scientists are seeking help from artificial intelligence. The technology assists embryologists to make a consistent choice. Artificial intelligence system could learn how embryos develop over time and then uses the information to select the best embryos. The trained AI algorithm can find the successful embryo just by looking at its image.

As more and more companies and medical institutions are coming forward to try their hand on this artificial intelligence espoused in IVF, we take you through some of the recent significant developments in the field.

Embryonics use AI to identify the most successful embryo: Embryonics, an Israeli AI fertility company has used artificial intelligence to increase the fertility rate and avoid the odds of successful implantation of the embryo. At the company, a group of algorithm specialists, data scientists, and embryologists are developing an algorithm that could predict the embryo implanting probability. They have trained the algorithm to analyze IVF time-lapsing imaging of developing embryos. The team is using medical imaging with deep learning to curate datasets from tens of thousands of IVF cycles, including time-lapse videos of embryos. Embryonics is planning to streamline this fertility process by conducting clinical trials at several sites in the United States after obtaining the US Food and Drug Administration's approval.  

Austin Fertility Center seeks AI's help for embryo analysis: Austin Fertility Center in the United States is also using artificial intelligence to non-invasively analyze embryos and determine whether they are euploid or aneuploid. The center has successfully applied AI in embryo selection with the help of deep learning through computer vision. They use 2D statistic images of embryos created through past IVF cycles at Ovation Fertility IVF laboratories to train the algorithm. Austin Fertility Center also said that the method has shown 32% improvement in the prediction of successful implantation.

VIOLET, a tool that beats human analysis in embryo selection: Scientists from CARE Fertility, one of the leading independent providers of fertility treatment in the United Kingdom has joined hands with Canadian med-tech partner Future Fertility on embryo analysis. The duo has researched to know how artificial intelligence can be used as a more accurate tool to predict human egg fertilization and embryo development. Recently, they also launched VIOLET, an AI algorithm that has outperformed human analysis, predicting human egg fertilization and blastocyst embryo development with 77% and 62% accuracy respectively.