Infertility affects 1 in 6 people of reproductive age, world-wide. It is a stigmatised condition that can lead to reduced productivity, financial hardship, relationship breakdown and mental illness. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is the leading method to address infertility but has a remarkably low success rate: only 18% of initiated cycles deliver a live birth. There is a critical need to improve this success rate which surprisingly, has remained stagnant for more than a decade. A key factor in IVF success is the selection of an embryo – from a cohort of embryos –with the highest potential for live birth. Current approaches are subjective (visual inspection) or invasive (biopsy). Importantly, these do not improve IVF success. Thus, there is a burgeoning need for objective, precise and non-invasive approaches to assist in embryo selection. Advanced photonics-based imaging can address this need.
In this talk I will present our work on new approaches to image the embryo – in three dimensions – with the goal to extract information that correlates with developmental potential. I will describe how optical imaging can record both molecular and biophysical information. I will focus on two powerful label-free modalities: (1) hyperspectral imaging with spectral phasor analysis in a light sheet geometry to extract molecular information and (2) digital holographic imaging to reveal biophysical parameters.
Additionally, I will present our research on the use of optical tweezers to examine the physical properties of the environment surrounding the oocyte in vitro. I will show that measuring the viscosity of the extracellular matrix surrounding the developing oocyte is associated with its developmental potential.
Overall, our studies demonstrate that exploiting light through advanced imaging or manipulation offers unprecedented opportunities to determining embryo health and ultimately improve IVF outcomes.