METAPHOR: Metabolic evaluation through phasor-based hyperspectral imaging and organelle recognition for mouse blastocysts and oocytes

What is it about?

Infertility, now considered a disease by the World Health Organization (WHO), affects one in six couples worlwide. Even though fertility treatments addressed many infertility issues, only 1 in 3 treatments end with the birth of a baby. A major roadblock at the clinic to improve this result is the selection of the embryo with the highest potential to implant and develop to term. IVF clinics use brightfield images to evaluate the quality of embryos and oocytes. However, brightfield provides only morphologic assessment of the embryo, and very similar embryos may have very different physiological status. Using METAPHOR, we performed non-invasive metabolic imaging on mouse embryos and oocytes. This technique provides detailed 4D images and metabolic profiles, enhancing embryo and oocyte evaluation.

Featured Image

Photo by Dragos Gontariu on Unsplash

Photo by Dragos Gontariu on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Failed IVF treatments represent an emotional, psychological and financial burden to the intended parents. Our method is safe and non-invasive, making it really promising for clinical translation. A medical device based on METAPHOR would offer a robust assessment of embryo quality by metabolic profiling. This tool would help IVF specialists make more informed decisions, boosting reproductive outcomes and improving patient care by shortening the time to pregnancy.