EmbryoSpin- smart chip to find viable embryos in fertility treatment

When it comes to the success of fertility treatment, selecting viable embryos can make all the difference. Scientists can already assess this tiny organism's morphology and genetic makeup, but there is currently no way to determine its internal chemistry. Yet obtaining this data would make it easier to more accurately predict the likelihood of healthy development.

EPFL spin-off Annaida has developed EmbryoSpin, a new sensor that allows hospitals and clinicians to predict the viability of an embryo and produces results in just one hour. The company has recently completed its first fundraising round, securing one million Swiss francs to hire new staff and test the safety and efficacy of its technology before proceeding to clinical trials.

A smart chip for fertility

Conventional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) systems are incapable of producing valid results for organisms as small as a grain of sand. Although some specialized devices are available, they're not widespread because they are too complicated to use, too expensive and not yet sensitive enough. Several research groups around the world are currently tackling these issues. Solving these problems would give scientists unprecedented insights into the internal chemistry of microscopic entities, such as embryos and organoids – miniaturized organs that are increasingly used in pharmaceutical research. "The new sensor developed at EPFL's Microsystems Laboratory (LMIS1), combines ease of use with unprecedented performance at microscopic scales, enabling previously impossible applications", says Gora Conley, cofounder of Annaida. The scaled-down device can observe samples 50 times smaller than conventional systems – including human embryos in the very earliest stages of development.