Irish researchers have developed new sperm selection technology that is set to boost IVF patients.
With an estimated one in six couples experiencing infertility problems, the breakthrough could offer hope to those seeking to start a family.
University of Limerick start-up neoMimix has been announced as a winner of the EIT Health Headstart competition this year.
Assisted by Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund, the researchers have developed an exciting microfluidics-based technology which helps select better sperm.
Dr Sean Fair, reproductive biologist and project lead at UL, said: "Infertility problems have been driven by increasing maternal age as well as by the halving of sperm counts over the last 40 years.
"The most common fertility treatment couples undergo is in vitro fertilisation and despite major advances in IVF over the last 40 years, two out of three cycles fail resulting in financial and emotional pain for couples.
"While little can be done to improve the number or quality of women’s eggs, men normally produce tens of millions of sperm yet only one is required to fertilise an egg.
“Despite the large number of sperm produced by men, very few are normal.
“Women whose male partners have poor sperm DNA integrity are twice as likely to have a miscarriage and therefore by selecting only sperm with intact DNA the risk of miscarriage can be significantly reduced.”
