TAU 3D Sperm Imaging Method Boosts IVF Selection Accuracy

Tel Aviv University said Wednesday that a new imaging method developed in Prof. Natan T. Shaked's lab could sharpen embryologist sperm selection for IVF, using optical tomography combined with interferometric imaging to build three-dimensional maps of live sperm cells without stains or damage. An artificial intelligence model trained on the images identified intracellular structures such as the nucleus, acrosome, midpiece and centriole-associated regions with 89 percent sensitivity and 94 percent specificity, per the study in Biomedical Optics Express. Prior clinical work by the same team lifted IVF pregnancy rates from 34 percent to 65 percent. The lab is now testing whether the technique can detect DNA fragmentation, and the university has licensed the technology to a commercial partner developing it toward clinical deployment.