World Embryologist Day, is a special day in the world of healthcare as we come together to celebrate World Embryologist Day. On this occasion, we take a moment to recognize and honor the remarkable achievements of embryologists worldwide. These dedicated professionals play a pivotal role in both clinical embryology and groundbreaking research that continually advances the industry. Today, we delve into the fascinating stories of a few pioneering embryologists who have transitioned from their “hands-on” roles to becoming visionary leaders in technology startups. Let’s explore how they are leveraging cutting-edge technologies to make a profound impact on millions of lives.


The Crucial Role of Embryologists in Family Building:
Embryologists are unsung heroes in the realm of assisted reproductive technology (ART). They skillfully work behind the scenes, performing crucial tasks like in vitro fertilization (IVF), embryo culture and grading, and cryopreservation, to name a few. The success of countless couples’ dreams of starting a family owes a great deal to the dedication and expertise of these professionals, and is celebrated on World Embryologist Day, the birthdate of the world’s first IVF baby, Louise Joy Brown.
As technology and research continually evolve, so do the opportunities for embryologists to expand their horizons beyond the confines of a laboratory. Many of them have ventured into the world of startups, where they now play pivotal roles in driving innovation and creating groundbreaking solutions.


Empowering through Technology Startups:
We had the privilege to interview some incredible embryologists who have embraced their passion for cutting-edge technology and translated it into fruitful roles as executives and CEOs in tech startups. Their journey from being “hands-on” working embryologists to driving innovation has been truly inspiring.


AI Driven Embryo Selection Advancements:

Daniella Gilboa, CEO at AIVF,  a renowned embryologist, shared her experience of transitioning to the tech world. As the CEO of a fertility-focused startup, AIVF, she spearheads the development of AI-powered embryo selection algorithms. This technology revolutionizes the embryo screening process, significantly increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy while reducing emotional and financial burdens for couples undergoing IVF.


She says “I sometimes have flashbacks to my first week in an IVF lab. Which was overwhelming. About 20 years ago. It took me a couple of days to fall in love with this amazing profession. There’s a moment in time where it’s the embryologist, the patient and the physician, in the same room, just moments before embryo transfer. It’s this moment that encapsulates everything. It’s this moment when you know you can change people’s lives. I am honored to be an embryologist and more so, to lead the development of the next generation of IVF.” 


Gamete and Embryo Cryostorage Breakthroughs: 

Cynthia Hudson, VP Clinical Strategy at TMRW Life Sciences formerly a hands-on embryologist, is now the VP of Clinical Strategy at TMRW, specializing in gamete and embryo cryostorage automation. She leads a team of researchers working on innovative automated cryostorage hardware and software. This breakthrough robotics technology has far-reaching implications for individuals facing fertility challenges and those considering delaying parenthood by freezing gametes for long term storage.

She says “There is so much demand for fertility care that it will take all of us, and more, to solve the access to care problem. My path went from working as an embryologist to designing technology for embryologists to use in the laboratory. If we can improve the efficiency, safety, and standard of care, we can help more people that need us.”


The Power of Precision: PGT Technologies

Among the remarkable stories of embryologists transitioning to leadership roles in technology startups, we find those who have embarked on a journey into the realm of Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT). PGT is a cutting-edge technology that enables embryologists to screen embryos for genetic abnormalities before they are replaced. At the heart of their mission lies the development of advanced PGT technologies that offer unparalleled precision in identifying genetic anomalies in embryos. 


Charlene Alouf, PhD, HCLD, Medical Science Liaison, Genomic Prediction says “It has been an amazing transition – especially from someone with decades of experience that started during a very remedial time in IVF technology.  I really have gotten to know so many in the field and that is 50% of the satisfaction!”


Sheela Ali, PhD, HCLD, VP of Science and Innovation, Progenesis, “I have spent the last 15 years dedicating my career to human IVF, many times sacrificing personal time to my work. I have such a strong passion for the field and an even stronger passion for the families we are helping build. My time as an embryologist and laboratory director were monumental in identifying gaps in automation and technology for our IVF field. I made the decision to use my experience, education and skills to help bridge the gap between new and emerging technologies and  their proper availability and application in the IVF and Andrology laboratories by joining Progenesis. I find that the growth in my career has been exceptional as I broadened my reach by helping laboratories improve their practices, ultimately improving patient care and cycle outcomes. As the VP of Science and Innovation, with a single webinar, hands on workshop or conference, I address larger laboratory and clinical groups to maximize the positive impact, which ultimately translates to improved efficiencies. I can develop and grow the technology for the betterment of the patient and laboratory staff alike by assessing the current needs of the laboratory and clinicians.  I am an advocate for progressive and improved laboratory practices and strive to propose solutions and workflows that will reduce hardships of my fellow embryologists and andrologists. I have been fortunate that the relationships I have built over the years with my peers are strong and supportive.  It has been an exhilarating journey thus far and I look forward to continuously bringing the latest and greatest technologies to IVF laboratories.”


Global Professional Education Clinical Support In addition to the groundbreaking work of embryologists in technology startups, another essential aspect of the field is the Global Professional Education Clinical Support. Highly skilled embryologists, like Sourima Biswas Shivhare, of Cooper Surgical Fertility Solutions strive to strengthen the global community of embryologists and contribute to the continuous improvement of reproductive healthcare on a global scale. 


She says “It has been liberating; in my current role, I am truly able to embrace my love and curiosity for the field and help the field move forwards. Let’s say there are tools in a true ‘clinical scientists’ toolbox, which aren’t ‘allowed’ to be utilized in the regular lab. This makes them obliged, due to their love for the field, to move out in the direction of roles that are conducive and nurturing of the true scientist. Bottom line, embryologists are being used/trained as technicians, not given the scope to nurture their brains. Having even the most basic understanding of the potential and the necessity for automation in the lab, in fact we should be training more brains than hands.”


On the Occasion of Word Embryologist Day 2023
On this World Embryologist Day, we celebrate the achievements of embryologists worldwide and the profound impact they have on countless lives. These passionate individuals not only excel in clinical embryology but are also instrumental in driving technological advancements that shape the future of reproductive healthcare.


As we applaud their dedication, let us also acknowledge the remarkable journey of those who have embraced leadership roles in technology startups. Their vision, paired with their expertise, has given rise to cutting-edge solutions that hold the promise of helping millions achieve their dreams of building a family.


Together, as a global community, we honor and appreciate the invaluable contributions of these exceptional individuals, and we look forward to a future where technology and human ingenuity continue to work hand in hand for the betterment of reproductive health worldwide. Happy World Embryologist Day!

Stumping ChatGPT
Stumping ChatGPT with fertility knowledge.

Want to skip straight to Stumping ChatGPT? Scroll down!

Introduction to Chatbots

In the world of artificial intelligence (AI) the superlative “overnight” is not unwarranted. ChatGPT, is an artificial intelligence powered chat robot (chatbot) with 175 billion parameters in its natural language processing model that has become wildly popular, seemingly overnight.  

You have probably heard that ChatGPT is capable of passing business, law, and medical board examinations, has qualified as a level-3 coding engineer at Google (with a $180K starting salary!), diagnosed a rare (1 in 100,000) condition in seconds, can outperform most students in microbiology, and even earn a passable grade in a 12th-grade AP literature test.  

I use ChatGPT every day, and it is quickly surpassing my use of other search engines. It responds to my queries with concise, human-like, detailed and referenced answers, solves elaborate problems, and answers intricate questions, and most importantly, it keeps learning from past inquiries to make the answers align to exactly the information I am looking for.  

Women’s healthcare —historically underfunded— stands to benefit enormously from new AI technologies as long as the current limitations are understood and overcome. ChatGPT is not yet HIPAA compliant and there are currently many concerns about data privacy and integrity. My working assumption is that it was trained on all the digital data ever produced by humans. However, no one really knows what it was trained on. Lastly, ChatGPT occasionally makes up answers and has been known to completely fabricate references and citations (more on that later as I describe my experience stumping ChatGPT!).  

Thinking for US

Academics and teachers have been wringing their hands and shedding bitter tears as they strive to prevent and detect plagiarism that goes beyond simply copying words, to much more complex intellectual phenomena— if you ask the computer to THINK for you, have you plagiarized the essence of humanity?

Can you plagiarize reasoning, planning, problem solving, abstract thinking, the comprehension of complex ideas? Should one believe what an AI tells you? Should you allow a computer to inspire you? Soothe your soul? Write your annual Christmas card? Even as I write this post, I’ve had to revise my anthropomorphic language – did it “write”? Did it “respond” to me? Did it “tell me” something?  

With the advent of the “Information Era” we were forced to develop new philosophies for teaching and learning. Our kids (and us!) no longer waste time memorizing information (ie. the periodic table of the elements), instead we are experts at finding information and knowing how to use it. The advent of the AI Era (Augmented Intelligence Era?) will likely call for a similar restructuring of the way we think about education and learning.

The large publishing houses have all adopted a policy that ChatGPT cannot be an author, because it can’t take responsibility for the words it “wrote” i.e., returned. Current best practice dictates that the author should disclose that ChatGPT was used as a tool in writing. However, that seems odd to me. Why should ChatGPT use be disclosed, any more than using the Dewey Decimal System at the public library, or using Google to search for information? I predict that as chatbot AI becomes normalized, that will fall to the wayside as a silly artifact of the early days of AI. (Natch, ChatGPT was used as a tool for writing this post!)  

The Information

Humans are driven to build great libraries. Often, we name them after politicians, because they are as much political symbols of progress, enlightenment, and cultural heritage as they are bastions of critical thinking. As a democratizing force driving innovation, the betterment of humanity as a whole, and the empowerment of individuals or populace, they are often the target of political battles. I think of ChatGPT (and now, competing large language models, like Bard) much the same way. But then I immediately think of the State sponsored censorship of books and libraries under dictatorships, and draw mental parallels to the book bans currently underway in the USA. I think of the destruction of libraries and thousands of historical and rare archives, such during the modern Iraq War and Syrian Civil wars, and in ancient times, the multiple cycles of destruction of the Library of Alexandria, (Nalanda, Persepolis, Ebla, and Pergamum). Large language models differ from libraries and search engines, they don’t simply present the information to you for your own syntheses and analysis, but they digest it, think it over, and spit it out in an interpreted fashion. Therefore, not only can they be manipulated, but they can also be stumped as we have tested and proven in this experiment to stump ChatGPT.

The internet was initially conceived as a decentralized and open platform that would be resistant to censorship and tampering, the reality is that it is not immune to such actions. I think of how political rivals use “fake news” to manipulate public opinion, how states censor web access (or use it for surveillance). I think of the proliferation of misinformation about vaccines, GMOs, Lyme Disease and so many other health related topics has harmed and killed so many. I think of the way political rivals can instantly flame a conspiracy theory. And I wonder… what will happen when rival businesses or states start targeting AI tools like ChatGPT or other language models?  How will these powerful tools be used to manipulate public discourse, spread misinformation, or exploit biases and weaknesses?  

Stumping ChatGPT 

I have pontificated enough on the abstract. Now back to the immediate! The fertility field is laden with obscure and highly specific information. I decided to see if I could stump ChatGPT. Most of my questions were answered correctly, instantly, and accurately, however, I was quickly able to reach athe accuracy limits, and cause it to generate incorrect answers.  

I asked Chat GPT to describe different cryodevices (bold is my emphasis).   “Cryotop: Cryotop is a device developed by the Japanese scientist Masashige Kuwayama in 1999. It consists of a thin, rectangular strip of polypropylene film with 12 or 16 small wells for holding embryos or oocytes. Cryotop is considered a closed system because the wells are sealed with a thin film of oil or mineral oil, which prevents contamination during vitrification. Cryotop is known for its high efficiency and low volume of vitrification solution.”  

I asked ChatGPT what the earliest reported sperm donor pregnancy was and it gave me the following information, which I was not able to verify as being correct. On PubMed, the publications of Sherman J.K. date back to 1953, but I could not find this specific reference  “Sherman J.K. (1954) Fertility following insemination with frozen human spermatozoa. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 68(5), 1295-1297.   It claimed “This paper reports the successful birth of John Randolph, the first baby born from frozen sperm, and provides details about the methods used to freeze and thaw the sperm.”   I asked if that was correct, and it returned:   “As I mentioned in my previous response, the first baby born from frozen sperm was John Randolph, born in January 1954 to a couple in Texas who had been unable to conceive due to the husband’s low sperm count. The husband’s sperm was frozen in liquid nitrogen for a year before being thawed and used for artificial insemination, resulting in the successful birth of their son.”  

Lastly, I asked ChatGPT for information about the regulation of anonymous tissue donors, and it returned the following mix of accurate and inaccurate information (bold is the false):   “Under FDA regulations, anonymous egg donors must be tested for communicable diseases, including HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and gonorrhea. Donors must also be screened for genetic disorders that could be passed onto offspring, such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia. In addition, donors must undergo a medical history review and provide information about their lifestyle habits, such as smoking and drug use.”  

ChatGPT Fertility Inspiration

If you are looking for some fertility inspiration, can you turn to Chat GPT for emotional support? Let us know if you feel empowered or inspired when we asked ChatGPT to be the hype man of those suffering from infertility with this final message of support and hope.   “If you’re waiting to get pregnant, the journey can be long and difficult. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the daily routine of charting cycles, taking medications, and undergoing fertility treatments. But as the days get longer and warmer, it’s important to take a step back and appreciate the beauty of the season and the hope it brings.   Just as the earth goes through cycles of growth and renewal, so do our bodies. With each new cycle, there’s the possibility of new life.   Oocytes, or eggs, undergo a complex process of maturation before they can be fertilized. This process takes several months, and is influenced by a variety of factors, including age, genetics, and lifestyle choices.   Spring is also a time for renewal. Take some time for self-care – pamper yourself, whether it’s with a relaxing bubble bath, a massage, or a day out in nature. Focus on activities that bring you joy and relaxation, and don’t forget to connect with loved ones. Our relationships are important for us to maintain a healthy mind and body.  

You’re not alone on this journey. Reach out to friends, family, or a professional counselor if you’re feeling overwhelmed or just need a friendly face and listening ear.  

As you embrace the season of spring, remember that your journey towards parenthood is also your journey of growth and renewal. Take a deep breath, appreciate the beauty in and around you, and hold on to the hope that your new beginning is just around the corner.”

Were you inspired, terrified, or convinced? Let us know in the comments!

Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence for Embryo Selection is here!

Embryo Selection has been proposed as one of the top Infertility research priorities. Healthcare professionals, people with fertility problems and infertility researchers (healthcare funders, healthcare providers, healthcare regulators, research funding bodies and researchers) were brought together in an open and transparent process resulting in an article that was published in Human Reproduction in November 2020 outlining the top future infertility-related research priorities. The initial survey was completed by 388 participants from 40 countries, and 423 potential research questions were submitted. Fourteen clinical practice guidelines and 162 Cochrane systematic reviews identified a further 236 potential research questions.

The top 10 infertility research priorities for the four areas of male infertility, female and unexplained infertility, medically assisted reproduction and ethics, access and organization of care for people with fertility problems were identified. These top ten research priorities in each topic area outline the most pressing clinical needs as perceived by healthcare professionals, people with fertility problems and others, to assist research funding organizations and researchers to develop their future research agenda.

This post discusses research priority #4: What is the optimal method of embryo selection in IVF cycles?

There are three techniques for imaging live, transparent specimens.

Phase contrast passes light through the sample, so the image is light and dark based on the DENSITY of the sample. HMC (Hofmann Modulation Contrast) and DIC are very similar- both are rendering an image based on the rate of change in the optical path- the slope. However, they do it different ways. In HMC a filter is used to amplify certain signals- in this case, the signal is light that has refracted as it passed through the sample. In DIC light is split into parallel beams and directed at the specimen, then they are further affected as they pass through the specimen, then recombined and analyzed on the other side. DIC relies on waves of light interfering (or not) with each other. The major problem with phase contrast is that it produces “halos” of light. The major problem with DIC is that orientation of the sample matters a lot (so swimming sperm- as they change their orientation- would not be good to view with it). Additionally, you must use glass coverslips/ slides or plates with the same refractive index – whereas with HMC you can use a plastic dish, PVP etc all having different refractive indices than the sample.