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AI Reveals Which Embryos Thrive in IVF Breakthrough
This week: AI's leap in IVF predicts embryo success, plus major healthcare AI funding and governance.
Bauris T.
March 22, 2024
AI Biotech Research and Health News
THIS WEEK’S INSIGHTS
Startup Watch
Bioptimus, a Paris-based generative AI startup, has secured a $35 million seed investment to create an AI foundational model exclusively for biology, addressing unique data challenges in the field.
Funding: Secured $35 million in seed funding.
Backers: Investment led by Sofinnova Partners, with Bpifrance, Frst, and Cathay Innovation participating.
Growth: Utilizing Owkin's multimodal patient data and partnering with AWS for model training.
Why it Matters: Aims to revolutionize disease diagnosis, precision medicine, and the creation of biomolecules for healthcare and environmental solutions.
Zephyr AI's recent $111 million Series A funding round marks a significant milestone in the use of advanced data tools and machine learning for improving outcomes in oncology and cardiometabolic diseases.
Funding: Achieved $111 million in Series A funding.
Backers: Key investors include Revolution Growth, Eli Lilly & Company, and Jeff Skoll.
Growth: Funds aimed at enhancing oncology and cardiometabolic disease research.
Why it Matters: A vital step forward in the evolution of precision medicine.
ThinkSono, a pioneering London-based medtech startup, has successfully raised €2.4M in funding to enhance AI-driven ultrasound diagnostics. This achievement aligns with its recent EU regulatory approval, paving the way for its technology's European market debut.
Funding: Achieved €2.4M in the latest round, aimed at expanding its innovative ultrasound technology.
Backers: id4 ventures led the round, with Brandenburg Kapital among other contributors.
Growth: The funds will be used to further develop their AI ultrasound diagnostics, improving accessibility and efficiency in medical imaging.
Why it Matters: Securing a Class IIb CE mark highlights ThinkSono's readiness for the European market, promising wider access to advanced medical diagnostics.
Policy and Ethics
The Coalition for Health AI, with members like Stanford and Google, is pushing AI governance in healthcare forward.
Critical Issue: The focus is on creating AI frameworks that ensure innovation is balanced with patient safety.
Stakeholder Impact: Impacts healthcare systems, tech companies, federal regulators, and patients.
Debate and Perspectives: There's a strong emphasis on the need for collaboration between the industry and government in AI regulation.
Why it Matters: This initiative is crucial for ensuring the benefits of AI tools in healthcare outweigh the risks, in line with the Biden Administration's approach.
Benchside Breakthrough
FERTILITY TECH
AI Reveals Which Embryos Thrive in IVF Breakthrough
Background: The research integrates Artificial Intelligence, particularly Machine Learning (ML), with Time-Lapse Technology to enhance embryo assessment accuracy in embryology.
Objective: To develop a machine-learning framework, EmbryoMLSelection, capable of predicting blastocyst development based on early embryo morphokinetics.
Method: Analyzed morphokinetics of 575 embryos from 80 women undergoing IVF, using the Geri plus® time-lapse system to record 30 variables related to embryo and patient characteristics.
Key Findings: EmbryoMLSelection identified a feature signature of 8 variables with an 81% accuracy and 0.84 AUC in predicting blastocyst development, offering a novel, objective assessment tool.
Implications: Provides embryologists with a reliable, objective tool for early embryo developmental assessment, potentially improving IVF outcomes.
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See you next week,
Bauris