AI-Powered Sperm Recovery Method Leads to Frist Successfulโ Pregnancy, Columbiaโค Researchers Announce
NEW โYORK,โข NY – In aโ breakthrough for men โfacing โขinfertility, researchersโข at Columbia University โIrving Medical Center have announced โฃthe first successful pregnancy achievedโฃ using their novel AI-guided spermโค recovery method,โ dubbed STAR (Sperm Tracking and โฃRecovery). The technology offers newโข hope for individuals diagnosed with azoospermia – theโฃ absence of sperm in ejaculate – who haveโฃ previously faced limited options for โคstarting aโข family.
The findings, published in The Lancet, detail how the โฃSTAR method successfully identified and retrieved viable sperm fromโฃ a patient who had spent nearly two โคdecades attempting to conceive, including multiple unsuccessful โฃIVF cycles, manualโค sperm searches, and surgical spermโฃ extraction procedures.
“You only โคneed one healthy sperm to create an embryo,”โ explained Dr. Evan Williams, seniorโข author of the study and Director โขof the Columbia University Fertility Center.
The STARโ method combines โhigh-powered imaging,โค artificialโข intelligence, and microfluidics to โคlocate and isolate rareโค sperm cells within a semen sample. โขThe system scans the sample, capturing over 8 million images in under an hour. AI algorithmsโ then identify potential sperm cells,โ which are afterward isolated using a microfluidic chip containing tiny channels. A robotic arm then gently removes the โคsperm โขforโข use in embryo creation or cryopreservation.
In the reported case, STAR analyzed a 3.5 mL semenโ sample, identifying two โviable sperm cells within approximately two hours. These cells were used to create two embryos, resultingโ in a successful pregnancy.
“the field hasโข really โbeen challenged to find โคa โbetter way to โidentify โคand retrieve viable sperm cells โin โmen with โexceedingly low sperm counts,” Dr. Williams stated.
The development of STAR โwas a collaborative effort, bringing โtogether experts โinโ advanced imaging, microfluidics, and reproductive endocrinology. “Our team included expertsโฆtoโข tackle each individual step required to find and isolate rare sperm,” said Hemant Suryawanshi,assistant professor of reproductive sciences at Columbia University Vagelos College ofโฃ Physicians and Surgeons and project leader.
While the initial results are based on a single case, researchers are optimistic about the potentialโ of STAR to overcome significant hurdles in male infertility treatment. Larger clinical studies are currently underway โto โคevaluate the efficacy of the technology in a broader patient population.
The research was supported by Columbia Universityโ Irving Medical Center.further details can be foundโค in the published study: Suryawanshi, H., et al. (2025). First clinical pregnancy following AI-based microfluidic sperm detection andโ recovery in non-obstructive azoospermia.Theโ Lancet. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01623-X01623-X)
