In a major breakthrough, a couple who have been trying to start a family for nearly two decades is at much peace now. All thanks to AI, they say.
Doctors at the Columbia University Fertility Center helped the couple with this remarkable feat. Experts say this pregnancy was possible after the AI algorithm addressed the issue of azoospermia, or a lack of detectable sperm in the ejaculate.
What is azoospermia?
This is a condition in men where the semen contains no sperm and it is a primary cause of male infertility. The treatment procedure involves genetic testing and counselling. Other approaches also include surgery and hormone treatments, as per Cleveland Clinic.
Also Read | Study finds COVID-19 virus protein triggers attack on healthy cells
How did AI help in the pregnancy?
Experts worked on developing a system that combined an AI algorithm for detecting sperm with a fluidic chip that passed the semen sample. If the AI picked up sperm, that tiny portion of semen would be collected. The few sperm isolated in this way could then be stored, frozen, or used to fertilize an egg, reported Time.
Experts believe this AI system also called STAR, short for Sperm Track and Recovery, is different from the others that have been developed as it combines the ability to actively isolate the target, sperm in this case.
“To test the system, before we discarded samples where embryologists could not find any sperm, we decided to run those samples through the system. The embryologists really worked hard to find sperm, since they didn’t want to be outshone by a machine. In one of the samples they analyzed for two days and found no sperm, STAR found 44 in an hour," said Dr Zev Williams, director of the center.
Also Read | Longer screen time may result in anxiety and low self-esteem in kids, finds study
