The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in collaboration with Amity University, has introduced an innovative Artificial Intelligence-based tool designed to identify a specific genetic cause of male infertility — Y chromosome microdeletion (YCMD) — and to predict outcomes of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.
The findings, published last week in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, mark a significant advancement in reproductive medicine.
“Male infertility accounts for nearly 50% of cases among couples struggling to conceive,” stated Dr. Deepak Modi, senior scientist at ICMR’s National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH) and lead author of the study. He emphasized that one of the major causes of male infertility is YCMD, affecting approximately 10% of infertile men. This genetic defect disrupts sperm production in the testes, often necessitating the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) like IVF for parenthood.
Men with YCMD cannot improve their sperm count through medical treatment, Dr. Modi explained. The newly developed AI tool, named Fertility Predictor, provides critical insights into sperm retrieval success rates and the likelihood of ART success for men with this genetic condition. The tool also offers precise predictions about fertilization rates, clinical pregnancy outcomes, and live birth probabilities, enabling couples to make informed decisions.
A noteworthy caveat, however, is that male offspring born through IVF from men with YCMD will inherit the defect, making them infertile. “The defect is fully transmitted from father to son,” Dr. Modi cautioned.
The development of Fertility Predictor took two years and involved data from over 500 men diagnosed with YCMD who underwent ART procedures. Using machine learning algorithms, researchers trained the tool to accurately predict reproductive outcomes. Its performance was later validated on a separate dataset, demonstrating an accuracy rate of around 80%, said Stacy Colaco, a scientist at NIRRCH and the study’s first author.
The tool provides a numerical assessment of clinical pregnancy and live birth chances based solely on the type of YCMD, ensuring robust and reliable predictions. “Validation studies confirmed its high accuracy in evaluating both these parameters,” added Dr. Abhishek Sengupta, assistant professor of biotechnology at Amity University.
This breakthrough AI application represents a step forward in addressing male infertility, offering personalized insights and supporting couples in navigating complex reproductive decisions.
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