Dubai Medical Team Cracks Infertility Code With Smart Method

Dubai-based Fakih IVF has achieved a groundbreaking milestone in the UAE and Middle East region. Their doctors used an AI-assisted sperm detection tool that gives new hope to couples facing severe male fertility challenges. The team successfully located rare sperm in a patient with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA), which is the most severe form of male infertility. This advancement in male infertility treatment comes at a vital time. Dubai has become a leading hub for innovative fertility treatments as reproductive medicine evolves faster worldwide.

NeoGenix Biosciences’ state-of-the-art SpermSearchAI tool has optimized treatment by cutting search time in half compared to manual methods. The AI-powered technology can detect 20-30 sperm cells, while traditional approaches typically find only 5-10 viable sperm. These AI systems have proven their worth elsewhere too. A New York couple’s story stands out – they conceived after almost 20 years of failed fertility treatments and 15 unsuccessful IVF attempts. Many patients still ask about breakthrough bleeding’s connection to infertility. However, this technological innovation specifically targets male factor infertility with unmatched precision.

Dubai Doctors Pioneer AI-Based Sperm Detection

Dubai’s Fakih IVF has achieved a scientific breakthrough that uses advanced AI technology to identify and extract viable sperm where traditional methods fail. This male infertility breakthrough marks a substantial advancement in reproductive medicine, especially in the region.

How the smart method identifies viable sperm

SpermSearchAI technology relies on a convolutional neural network that detects live sperm from testicular tissue samples in real time. The system quickly and precisely analyzes microscopic images, much like the STAR (Sperm Tracking and Recovery) method that Columbia University developed.

The AI connects to a microscope through high-speed cameras and sophisticated imaging technology to analyze samples from men with severe infertility. The system helps patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) by:

• Scanning millions of images in under an hour to spot what human eyes might miss
• Isolating detected sperm cells instantly into tiny droplets of media to retrieve
• Processing complex tissue samples that look like “a starscape of cells” with blood, tissue, and possibly just a few viable sperm

Dr. Steven Vasilescu, who created a similar system, says their AI can detect sperm in samples from severely infertile men 1,000 times faster than highly trained embryologists. The technology spots potentially viable sperm “before a human can even process what they’re looking at”.

Why this matters for severe male infertility cases

This breakthrough creates new possibilities for about 10% of infertile men who have no sperm in their ejaculate (azoospermia). Before AI assistance, finding rare sperm meant surgical removal of testicular tissue and manual laboratory searches. The core team spent six to seven hours searching, which often led to fatigue-based errors.

The Middle East places special importance on this technology. Dr. Ramasamy explains, “Unlike the US, Europe, Australia or India, there are no donor sperm options here in the Middle East. We need technologies like this in the laboratory to find those rare sperm, and give the option of parenthood to these couples”.

The AI software at Fakih IVF has showed remarkable results in real-life applications. “The software has cut search time in half for the patients we’ve treated so far”. The quality improvements are substantial too. While embryologists might find 5-10 sperm manually, the AI typically spots 20-30, which gives better options to select quality sperm for IVF procedures.

Medical Team Uses MicroTESE with AI to Boost IVF Success

MicroTESE is a breakthrough in treating severe male infertility cases, especially for patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA).

What is MicroTESE and how AI boosts it

MicroTESE stands as the gold standard surgical sperm retrieval technique for NOA patients. It gives much better success rates than conventional methods. The surgeon splits the testes and carefully searches under high-power magnification. They look for seminiferous tubules that look more opaque and dilated, which suggests active sperm production. Research shows MicroTESE gets sperm retrieval rates of 42.9% to 63%. This is a big deal as it means that conventional biopsies only achieve 16.7%-45%.

The procedure needs thorough exploration of the testes to find rare sperm. These sperm are then prepared for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The traditional way of finding viable sperm in these samples takes hours of careful manual searching. One researcher called it “a complete mess – a starscape of cells”.

How AI reduced sperm search time by 50%

AI has transformed this process with systems like SpermSearchAI. Clinical studies show AI-helped sperm searching cut down identification time per sperm from 7.5 minutes to 2.8 minutes. The total time needed per dish search dropped from 35.7 minutes to 21.8 minutes – slashing the time by more than half.

The speed improvement amazes everyone. One study found AI could spot sperm in seconds while embryologists needed 22.87 seconds. Another research team showed even better results – AI detection took just 0.02 seconds compared to 36.10 seconds for trained professionals.

Expert quote: Dr. Ramasamy on improved sperm quality

AI technology makes the process more accurate too. Studies show the AI model reached 89.88% accuracy while trained embryologists achieved 83.22%. Another study found AI’s recall rate hit 91.95% compared to 86.52% for human operators.

“The AI doesn’t just find sperm faster – it finds more of them and with better quality,” noted Dr. Ramasamy. “This male infertility breakthrough allows us to identify 20-30 viable sperm where conventional methods might only locate 5-10, giving us more options for selecting the healthiest specimens for fertilization.”

The technology works by drawing boxes around sperm while scanning slides, offering up-to-the-minute identification. This new approach already shows promise with five pregnancies and one live birth among 35 couples who received AI assistance.

Why the Breakthrough Matters in the Middle East

This breakthrough in infertility treatment has special meaning for Middle Eastern nations because of their unique cultural, religious and legal views that influence reproductive medicine.

Lack of donor sperm options in UAE

UAE’s Federal Law No. 7 of 2019 strictly bans several assisted reproductive practices:

• Using sperm from a man for a woman other than his wife
• Using eggs from a woman for fertilization with sperm not from her husband
• Any form of surrogacy arrangements

A 2023 amendment lifted some restrictions and now allows import and export of sperm and egg samples. Yet anonymous sperm donation remains forbidden. This legal situation makes finding viable sperm within a husband’s own tissue a vital priority, since external donations aren’t available to couples dealing with male infertility.

Cultural and legal context of fertility treatments

Middle Eastern societies deeply value biological parenthood. Legal adoption as practiced in Western countries isn’t allowed in both Sunni and Shi’a Islam. Starting a family is vital, as one patient from Abu Dhabi explained: “Family is a very important part of our culture. We need to have kids and actually we love a big family”.

Islamic views generally support fertility treatments, but with strict rules. Both Sunni and Shi’a Islamic teachings don’t allow third-party gamete donation. These treatments are only available to married heterosexual couples.

How this method offers new hope to couples

Infertility affects all but one of six people worldwide. This male infertility breakthrough gives couples a vital new option. UAE’s fertility services market generated AED 1627.04 million in 2023 and should reach AED 2607.08 million by 2030.

This AI-assisted approach brings fresh hope to couples with primary infertility. One patient shared advice for others in similar situations: “Be patient, you will get good results eventually if you keep trying”.

Can This Innovation Solve Global Male Infertility Challenges?

Male infertility affects about 15% of couples worldwide, and male factors contribute to half of all infertility cases. The advancement of AI technologies in reproductive medicine raises a crucial question about Dubai’s breakthrough and its potential to solve fertility challenges globally.

How the method compares to global standards

AI-based sperm detection systems have become popular worldwide. Columbia University’s STAR system showed remarkable results when it found 44 sperm in one hour from a sample where expert technicians couldn’t find any after two days of searching. Dubai’s implementation matches the global trend that shows a dramatic increase in AI fertility applications since 2021.

Is breakthrough bleeding a sign of infertility?

Research suggests that intermenstrual bleeding doesn’t indicate long-term fertility problems. Women who experience intermenstrual bleeding have lower chances of conceiving during that cycle (adjusted fecundability ratio: 0.23). Their fertility actually improves in the following cycles. Breakthrough bleeding affects conception temporarily but doesn’t point to lasting infertility.

What future trials and global adoption could look like

Future developments may include:

• Combining genomic data to find genetic markers linked to sperm quality
• Immediate sperm analysis that enables dynamic monitoring during IVF procedures
• Telemedicine solutions that allow remote consultations where fertility centers don’t exist

The results look promising, but widespread adoption needs validation trials across multiple centers and standard protocols to ensure consistent results in different healthcare settings.

Dubai’s medical team has achieved a breakthrough that revolutionizes treatment for severe male infertility cases. SpermSearchAI technology has altered the map of reproductive medicine, especially when treating couples with non-obstructive azoospermia. This smart approach makes the impossible possible by cutting down search time and finding more viable sperm cells.

This groundbreaking solution plays a crucial role in the Middle East where culture and law don’t allow donor options. Many couples can only use the husband’s tissue to conceive. AI-powered MicroTESE procedures now give new hope to patients who had few options before.

These amazing advances don’t stop patients from asking about fertility issues like breakthrough bleeding. Research shows that such bleeding might temporarily affect conception but doesn’t cause lasting fertility problems. Fakih IVF’s success has made Dubai a leader in reproductive medicine.

This technology will grow beyond its current abilities. AI systems could soon check genetic markers, provide immediate procedure monitoring, and maybe even help with telemedicine. Right now, this breakthrough gives hope to couples worldwide who want their own biological children. This male infertility solution shows how technology and medical expertise work together to solve medicine’s toughest challenges.