Brussels University Hospital develops AI tool to detect sperm cells in men with reduced fertility

The new AI tool was developed by researchers at Brussels IVF, the centre for reproductive medicine at Brussels University Hospital, and Robovision Healthcare. The technology, called T'easy, could be a major step forward in improving the effectiveness of fertility treatments.

Current method leads to mixed results

For men who have no sperm cells in their ejaculate, a TESE procedure, or testicular sperm extraction, can be performed. "This means that the doctor takes a small piece of tissue from the testicles to isolate sperm cells from it. The sperm cells can then be used in an ICSI, a form of in vitro fertilisation in which a single sperm cell is injected directly into an egg cell," doctors at UZ Brussels explain.

This means TESE offers men with reduced fertility a chance to have biological children of their own. The method, used since 1995, has become a routine treatment for infertile men, but the results are mixed. It is not always easy to detect sperm cells.

Faster and more accurate

The new technology combines an app, a customised microscope and artificial intelligence to detect sperm cells in testicular tissue fully automatically and quickly. Using an AI model, T'easy can on average detect 98 per cent of sperm cells present in just 10 minutes.

‘Thanks to T'easy, we can detect sperm cells faster and more accurately, which gives parents wanting a child clarity on the chances of their fertility treatment succeeding more quickly,’ the university hospital points out. ‘Moreover, it lowers the chances of missing usable sperm cells.’

Research stage still ongoing

T'easy means a significant saving of time. Manually tracing sperm cells in testicular tissue is labour-intensive, time-consuming and requires specialised staff. At present, UZ Brussels is only using the new method as part of its scientific research.