A baby has been born through a revolutionary process where nearly the entire in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure was performed by a machine, supervised remotely by a medical professional.
This breakthrough, developed by Jacques Cohen and his team at Conceivable Life Sciences, a New York-based biotech company, automates 23 key steps of the IVF process, particularly focusing on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). ICSI, a technique used to address male infertility, involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg.
Traditionally, this process requires high precision and clinical judgment, making it prone to human error due to fatigue or distractions. “Errors can happen, which reduce the chances of fertilization and successful births,” Cohen said.
To reduce such errors, the new system allows the operator to control each automated step with a button, while monitoring a live video feed for oversight. One of the most innovative features of the system is its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assess and select the healthiest sperm and embryos.
The AI identifies the best sperm based on physical traits and immobilizes them with laser pulses, making them easier to handle. The machine then assists in injecting the sperm into donor eggs. In later stages, another AI tool evaluates the embryos by analyzing their chromosomes.
During the trial, five out of eight donor eggs were fertilized using the automated method, resulting in four embryos. The remaining three eggs, fertilized manually, also developed into embryos. The AI then selected the two highest-quality embryos for implantation, both from the automated group.
The couple who volunteered for the procedure had struggled with infertility. The male partner’s sperm had low motility, and the female partner could not produce viable eggs, so donors were used. Although the first embryo transfer failed, the second attempt—using an embryo created through the automated method—resulted in a healthy birth. Cohen remained cautiously optimistic, stating that it’s too early to draw broad conclusions.
Joyce Harper, a researcher at University College London, called the achievement a promising proof of concept but emphasized the need for further studies. “Randomized clinical trials comparing manual and automated ICSI procedures will give us a better understanding of the technology’s effectiveness,” she said.
The automated IVF system also faces financial challenges, as Harper noted that it might be initially expensive and out of reach for many patients. However, Cohen remains confident that as the system is refined, costs will decrease, making it more accessible to clinics and patients. “We expect the cost to the patient and clinic to decline as we optimize and standardize the process,” he said.
While full automation may never entirely replace human expertise, its ability to minimize errors and ensure consistency could play a crucial role in the future of IVF procedures.
