Artificial Intelligence helps IVF patients avoid invasive embryo genetic testing

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Apr 29, 2021, 07:47 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Whisperer, the fertility arm of AI healthcare company Presagen, has made a significant breakthrough in using artificial intelligence to non-invasively help embryologists rank and select genetically healthy embryos in IVF.

Currently, PGT-A genetic testing requires a portion of a healthy embryo to be removed and sent away for testing. The procedure is invasive, costly, and potentially risky.

Presagen CEO, Dr Michelle Perugini said: "Some future parents are just not comfortable with the thought of having to biopsy their embryo, which may ultimately become their baby. PGT-A testing is conducted because evidence suggests genetically healthy embryos can increase pregnancy success and reduce miscarriage for IVF patients who are desperate for children."

Presagen's new AI product, Life Whisperer Genetics, requires only camera images of embryos to assess their genetic integrity. In a US study simulating 91,500 individual patient cohorts, Life Whisperer Genetics ranked top genetically normal (euploid) embryos in 82% of the patient cohorts. Furthermore, 96% of the cohorts had at least one genetically normal embryo in the top two ranked embryos.

The AI was developed in collaboration with IVF clinics including Ovation Fertility in the USA, No.1 Fertility in Australia, and Alpha Fertility in Malaysia.

Ovation Fertility's Vice President of Scientific Advancement Dr Matthew "Tex" VerMilyea said: "We are very excited about this new product. Life Whisperer Genetics provides a great alternative for patients who are not comfortable with PGT-A or those that live in countries where PGT-A is not readily available or too expensive. Here in the USA where PGT-A testing is common, Life Whisperer Genetics would provide the opportunity to pre-screen and only test the healthiest and most viable embryos, reducing costs for our patients."

Dr Jonathan Hall, Presagen's Chief AI Officer said: "Life Whisperer Genetics can further improve embryo selection when used in conjunction with Presagen's flagship product, Life Whisperer Viability, which uses AI to rank embryos based on their likelihood of leading to a pregnancy. Life Whisperer Viability is already available in two thirds of the world's IVF market. Life Whisperer Genetics is expected to be available in Europe, Australia, Canada, India and SE Asia in May, and we are currently pursuing FDA approvals in the USA."

Presagen plans to build additional healthcare products, both in IVF and beyond, initially focusing on women's health.

SOURCE Presagen