Latest news with #SpermTrackingandRecovery
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
AI-assisted pregnancy: 8 million images in under an hour — how AI helped couple conceive after 18 years of struggle
A couple has conceived after nearly two decades of unsuccessful attempts with the help of AI-based fertility breakthrough developed at the Columbia University Fertility Center in New York, reported NY Post. The STAR system -- short for Sperm Tracking and Recovery -- identified viable sperm in a man diagnosed with azoospermia, a condition previously believed to cause complete infertility. Columbia University announced the development in a press release, quoting Dr Zev Williams, director of the fertility center, who said, 'A semen sample can appear totally normal, but when you look under the microscope, you discover just a sea of cellular debris, with no sperm visible.' Azoospermia affects up to 15% of infertile men, according to Columbia's research. Until now, treatment options included painful surgical extraction or the use of donor sperm. 'The options have typically been either to use donor sperm or to try undergoing a painful surgery where a portion of the testes is actually removed and they look in the testes to try to find sperm,' Williams told In response, Williams and his team adapted technology originally used by astrophysicists to detect distant planets and stars. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Providers are furious: Internet access without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Over five years, they developed the STAR system, using artificial intelligence to scan high-powered images of semen samples. According to Williams, the system was tested on samples previously examined manually by embryologists without success. STAR located 44 viable sperm within an hour in one such sample. 'We're using the same technologies that are used to search for life in the universe to help create new life right here on Earth,' Williams said. In March 2025, a 38-year-old woman identified only as Rosie became the first to get pregnant using the STAR method. Speaking to Time magazine, she said, 'There really was nothing else out there. Especially because I am running quite a few years ahead of where we should be [for fertility]. I'm not that old, but in fertility years — egg-wise — I was reaching my end.' Her husband, diagnosed with azoospermia, provided a semen sample that STAR scanned, capturing over 8 million images in less than an hour. AI algorithms identified three viable sperm cells, which were extracted robotically to avoid damage from traditional methods like centrifugation. 'Imagine searching for a single needle hidden among a thousand haystacks scattered across ten football fields — and finding it in under two hours,' Williams told The Bump. 'That's the level of precision and speed delivered by the STAR system.' The sperm were used to fertilise Rosie's eggs within two hours of collection. After successful embryo transfer, she is now five months pregnant. 'I still wake up in the morning and can't believe if this is true or not,' she told Time. The baby is expected in December 2025. The STAR system is currently available only at Columbia University Fertility Center. Dr. Williams told CNN the cost of identifying, isolating, and freezing sperm through STAR is just under $3,000. According to GoodRx, a standard IVF cycle in the US typically ranges from $12,400 to $15,000, but total expenses can exceed $30,000 with medications and genetic testing. While promising, the innovation has prompted calls for further evaluation. Dr. Robert Brannigan, president-elect of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, told The Washington Post, 'At face value, this looks promising, but as with any new technology in medicine, especially in reproductive care, we need to follow the data and study it further.' The STAR breakthrough comes amid rising concerns over global male infertility. A study cited by Columbia found that sperm counts in Western men fell by 52.4% between 1973 and 2011. Researchers suspect environmental exposures, obesity, poor diets, and sedentary lifestyles as contributing factors.
India Today
2 days ago
- Health
- India Today
After 18 years of failed attempts, AI helps couple achieve pregnancy
A couple has achieved pregnancy after nearly two decades of unsuccessful attempts, thanks to an artificial intelligence system that discovered previously undetectable STAR (Sperm Tracking and Recovery) system, developed at Columbia University Fertility Centre in New York, offers renewed hope to men diagnosed with azoospermia, a condition where no sperm is found in BY ASTROPHYSICS The system uses imaging technology inspired by space science, originally developed to detect distant stars and using the same tools designed to find life in the universe to help create life on Earth,' said Dr. Zev Williams, director of the Columbia University Fertility reported by The Hollywood Reporter, researchers used high-resolution imaging to capture over 8 million frames of a semen sample in under an hour. With the help of AI, they identified three viable sperm which traditional methods had missed entirely.A SIMPLER PROCESSPreviously, men with azoospermia had few options beyond painful surgical procedures or using donor sperm. The STAR system eliminates the need for such invasive approaches. Once the sperm are located, a robot gently extracts them, preserving their the couple's case, the retrieved sperm was used to fertilise the woman's eggs through IVF. The embryos were successfully implanted, and she is now five months the STAR method is currently only available at Columbia, the cost of sperm retrieval is just under $3,000 — significantly lower than the total expense of IVF, which can exceed $30,000 with medications and to The Hollywood Reporter, male infertility affects 10% to 15% of American men trying to conceive. With sperm counts declining globally, scientists are exploring environmental and lifestyle factors, including obesity, diet, and inactivity, as possible Williams said several patients are already undergoing treatment using the STAR system. 'Many men who were told they'd never father a biological child now have a real chance,' he added. The baby is expected in December.- Ends
New York Post
2 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
AI helps couple get pregnant after 18 years of trying — by finding infertile man's ‘hidden sperm'
Could high-tech goggles be the key to spotting secret swimmers? A couple is expecting their first child after nearly 20 years of trying, thanks to artificial intelligence that found 'hidden' sperm in a man who was once thought to be shooting blanks. The futuristic treatment, currently only available in New York, could offer fresh hope to thousands of men who've long been told they'd never father a biological child. Advertisement 4 Studies show that male infertility affects about 10% to 15% of US males who are trying to conceive. Christoph Burgstedt – Most healthy semen is teeming with millions of sperm — but up to 15% of infertile men have azoospermia, where there's virtually nothing to be found. 'A semen sample can appear totally normal, but when you look under the microscope, you discover just a sea of cellular debris, with no sperm visible,' Dr. Zev Williams, director of the Columbia University Fertility Center, said in a press release. Until now, men with azoospermia had few ways to overcome their missing swimmers. Advertisement 'The options have typically been either to use donor sperm or to try undergoing a painful surgery where a portion of the testes is actually removed and they look in the testes to try to find sperm,' Williams told Frustrated by the lack of effective solutions, Williams and his team turned their gaze to the galaxies. Borrowing AI technology used by astrophysicists to detect faraway stars and planets, the researchers spent five years developing the STAR system — short for Sperm Tracking and Recovery — to search for life of a different kind. Advertisement And it works: When tested on a sample that embryologists had spent two days combing through with no success, STAR found 44 sperm in just one hour. 4 Williams and his team were inspired by the high-tech methods that astrophysicists are using in space. Columbia Doctors 'We're using the same technologies that are used to search for life in the universe to help create new life right here on earth,' Williams said. In March 2025, a woman using the pseudonym Rosie became the first to get pregnant using the STAR method — after nearly 19 years of trying to conceive with her husband, who has azoospermia. Advertisement 'There really was nothing else out there,' Rosie, 38, said in an interview with Time magazine. 'Especially because I am running quite a few years ahead of where we should be [for fertility]. I'm not that old, but in fertility years — egg-wise — I was reaching my end.' For her husband, the process was surprisingly simple; all he had to do was provide a sperm sample. Researchers then scanned the sample with high-powered imaging, capturing more than 8 million images in under an hour. Using AI, they were able to detect three viable sperm cells. Once spotted, the tiny swimmers were swiftly extracted by a robot, avoiding damage from traditional methods like centrifugation, which spins the sample and can ruin the cells. 4 The STAR method eliminates the need for other painful, and sometimes risky, procedures to extract sperm. nito – 'Imagine searching for a single needle hidden among a thousand haystacks scattered across ten football fields — and finding it in under two hours,' Williams told The Bump. 'That's the level of precision and speed delivered by the STAR system.' Advertisement After extraction, the sperm can be used right away for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or frozen for future attempts. In Rosie's case, doctors had her eggs successfully fertilized within two hours of collecting her husband's sample. A few days later, the embryos were transferred to her uterus. Now five months pregnant, Rosie says it still feels surreal. 'I still wake up in the morning and can't believe if this is true or not,' she told Time. The baby is due in December. Advertisement 4 A growing number of people are starting their families with assisted reproductive technology. weyo – The STAR system is currently exclusive to Columbia University Fertility Center, where Williams said several other patients are already in the 'banking stage.' He told CNN the full process to find, isolate and freeze sperm costs just under $3,000. The average cost of IVF in the US ranges from $12,400 to $15,000 but can exceed $30,000 when including medications and genetic testing, according to GoodRx. Advertisement While the new tech offers hope, some experts are skeptical. 'At face value, this looks promising, but as with any new technology in medicine, especially in reproductive care, we need to follow the data and study it further,' said Robert Brannigan, president-elect of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, in an interview with the Washington Post. The development of the STAR system comes amid a global rise in male infertility. One study found that sperm counts in Western men plunged 52.4% between 1973 and 2011. Scientists are still working to pinpoint the cause, but suspect environmental exposures and lifestyle factors like obesity, poor diet and physical inactivity are playing a role. Advertisement As infertility climbs, more couples are turning to assisted reproduction like IVF and the STAR system for a shot at parenthood. 'With our method, many men who were told they had no chance at a biological child now have that chance,' Williams said.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
AI Helps Couple Get Pregnant After Trying For 18 Years
A couple trying to conceive a baby for 18 years finally managed to get pregnant thanks to the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The unnamed couple had undergone multiple rounds of in vitro fertilisation, or IVF, across the globe, but to no avail. The IVF attempts were unsuccessful due to azoospermia, a rare condition in which no measurable sperm is present in the male partner's semen. In a typical healthy semen sample, there are millions of sperm cells per millilitre. Having knocked on every door, the couple turned to the Columbia University Fertility Center (CUFC) to try a novel approach, according to a report in CNN. Using the STAR (Sperm Tracking and Recovery) method, which uses AI to identify hidden sperm in men, the couple had their lucky breakthrough. Researchers at the fertility centre examined the semen sample with the AI-powered system and managed to find the hidden sperm. After recovering the sperm, it was used to fertilise the wife's egg via IVF, and she became the first-ever woman to conceive using the STAR method. "It took me two days to believe I was actually pregnant," the woman said. "I still wake up in the morning and can't believe if this is true or not. I still don't believe I am pregnant until I see the scans." The STAR method The STAR method was developed after a five-year research by Dr Zev Williams, director of the CUFC and his colleagues. The team was left amazed as well after the method yielded results in real life. "A patient provided a sample, and highly skilled technicians looked for two days through that sample to try to find sperm. They didn't find any. We brought it to the AI-based STAR System. In one hour, it found 44 sperm. So right then, we realised, 'Wow, this is really a game-changer. This is going to make such a big difference for patients,' " said Mr Williams, who led the research team. After a semen sample is placed on a specially designed chip under a microscope, the STAR system uses high-powered imaging to scan the entire semen sample and capture over eight million images in under an hour. AI, which has been trained to identify sperm cells, then steps in and spots the reproductive cell.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
AI helps woman get pregnant: Columbia University shares breakthrough
A long wait of nearly two decades has come to an end. Doctors at Columbia University Fertility Center have reported what they are calling the first pregnancy using a new AI system, in a couple that had been trying to start a family for over 19 years. What happened? In a groundbreaking development in reproductive medicine, researchers at Columbia University Fertility Center have reported the first successful pregnancy using an innovative AI-based procedure known as STAR (Sperm Tracking and Recovery). This advancement offers new hope to couples facing male infertility, particularly those with azoospermia—a condition characterized by the absence of detectable sperm in the ejaculate. What is Azoospermia? Azoospermia is a condition where there is a complete absence of sperm in a man's ejaculate. It's a significant cause of male infertility, as sperm are essential for fertilizing an egg. While azoospermia can make natural conception difficult, it doesn't necessarily mean a man cannot have children, as other reproductive technologies may be available. There are different types of azoospermia, such as: Obstructive azoospermia: Caused by a blockage in the reproductive tract that prevents sperm from being ejaculated. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo This can be due to conditions like infections, surgeries, or congenital abnormalities. Non-obstructive azoospermia: Results from a problem with sperm production in the testicles, potentially due to genetic disorders, hormonal imbalances, or other health issues. Azoospermia can be caused by a variety of factors, including: Genetic conditions: Certain genetic disorders, such as Klinefelter syndrome, can affect sperm production. Hormonal imbalances: Low levels of hormones, like testosterone, can impact sperm production. Infections: Infections of the reproductive tract, like epididymitis or urethritis, can damage the testicles. Surgical procedures: Previous surgeries, especially those involving the reproductive system, can sometimes lead to blockages. Congenital abnormalities: Some individuals are born with abnormalities in their reproductive system that can affect sperm production or transport. Overcoming azoospermia with AI technology: Now, azoospermia accounts for approximately 10% of male infertility cases, and traditional methods often fall short in identifying viable sperm within semen samples. Columbia's STAR system employs a combination of high-powered imaging technology and artificial intelligence to scan entire semen samples, capturing up to 8 million images per hour. The AI algorithm analyzes these images to detect and isolate rare sperm cells that might be missed by human embryologists. Once sperm are identified, a microfluidic chip directs them into separate channels, allowing for rapid and gentle isolation without the need for centrifugation or other potentially damaging procedures. This approach ensures that viable sperm are preserved and can be used for fertilization, offering a non-invasive and chemical-free alternative to previous methods. From infertility to parenthood: The significance of this breakthrough, which brings medical science and advanced technologies together, is amplified by the story of a couple who had been trying to conceive for nearly two decades. Despite undergoing 15 unsuccessful IVF cycles and repeated failures and heartbreak, their fortunes changed when they participated in a clinical trial utilizing the STAR system. The AI technology successfully identified viable sperm, leading to a successful pregnancy—a milestone that had eluded them for years. Dr. Zev Williams, director of the Columbia University Fertility Center and leader of the STAR project, expressed optimism about the potential of AI in addressing various infertility challenges. He noted that while the STAR system was developed to tackle azoospermia, similar AI-driven technologies could be adapted to enhance other aspects of fertility treatment, such as embryo selection and genetic screening. Looking ahead: The success of the STAR system represents a significant advancement in the field of reproductive medicine. By integrating AI into fertility treatments, clinicians can achieve higher precision and efficiency, potentially reducing the number of cycles required for conception and improving overall success rates. Moreover, the automation of sperm identification and isolation processes can alleviate the workload of fertility specialists, allowing them to focus on other critical aspects of patient care. As AI technologies continue to evolve, they hold the promise of making fertility treatments more accessible, effective, and personalized for individuals and couples worldwide. While the STAR system is still in the experimental phase, its success offers a glimpse into the future of fertility care—one where artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in helping individuals achieve their dreams of parenthood. As research progresses, it is anticipated that AI will continue to revolutionize reproductive medicine, offering new solutions to longstanding challenges and bringing hope to many who have struggled with infertility. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on AI revolution and its impact on society at large: Full video One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
