Doctors from the USA reported the first case of pregnancy with the help of AI

Doctors at Columbia University's Center for Reproduction reported the first case of pregnancy following a procedure using a new artificial intelligence (AI) system. This was reported by Time magazine on June 10.

It is noted that the STAR (Sperm Track and Recovery) system uses AI algorithms and a microchip to detect and isolate rare spermatozoa, which makes it possible to use them for fertilization.

According to the publication, STAR was inspired by the methods that astrophysicists use to search for new stars, and can analyze millions of images in an hour, isolating viable sperm cells.

"To test the system, before discarding the samples in which the embryologists could not find a single sperm, we decided to run them through the system. The embryologists really worked hard to find the sperm because they didn't want to be overshadowed by the machine. In one of the samples, which they analyzed for two days and did not find a single sperm, STAR found 44 in an hour," said Dr. Zev Williams, director of the center.

At the same time, the first successful pregnancy using STAR occurred in a couple who had been trying to have a child for 19 years and had gone through 15 unsuccessful IVF cycles. The authors of the material clarified that the woman who took part in the experiment is already in her fourth month, and everything indicates that her pregnancy is progressing well.

In April, Dmitry Chebanov, PhD, systems biologist and researcher at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), said that scientists had adapted AI to treat rare cancers. It was noted that the system does not just analyze data on cancer patients, but creates their virtual digital counterparts to fill in the gaps in knowledge about rare tumors.