Label-free single-shot, 3D quantitative differential interference microscopy for clinics

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process of fertilization where an egg is combined with sperm outside the body. IVF is a successful treatment for infertility, which is a global health problem affecting around 50 million couples. Until today, over 8 million IVF children have been born, which is close to 1.6 times the population of Norway. Approximately, 2.5 million IVF-cycles are performed every year, however the success rate is only about 20% and often requires multiple tries before a successful birth. The IVF process has several key limitations, one of the main challenges is to select the healthiest sperm cells. In this project we have developed a label-free quantitative differential intensity contrast (QDIC) microscopy and have employed it to screen healthy and unhealthy sperm cells in close cooperation with the IVF Clinic. The outcome from the project suggests that the superior contrast imaging and the quantitative parameters extraction have a value for the IVF clinic. Further case studies and development of the technology and the exploitation model will be carried out in the future projects.

The main outcome of the project is establishment is that we have a functional QDIC system which has been used to perform real-time imaging of the sperm samples from the IVF Clinic. We have gained insights on how to handle hospital samples and modified the imaging pipeline to make it more align for the targeted market segment within the IVF. We also understood the value proposition and the key challenges experienced by the end-users within IVF. We have reached out to several stageholders during this project that includes more IVF units, industrial partners, VCs and other relevant companies active within IVF value chain. The feedback from the project suggests that it is essential to build further application case studies, for example by screening samples from several patients and build library of healthy and unhealthy samples. Similarly, we need to perform correlative imaging using proposed QDIC technologies and commonly used qualitative microscopy method within IVF. We would also like to continue to work with the established stakeholders to create value.