Breakthrough Israeli Technology Doubles IVF Success Rates, Offering Hope for Couples Struggling With Infertility
Israeli researchers have developed a revolutionary sperm selection method that could transform fertility treatments
An innovative fertility technology developed at Tel Aviv University is transforming the landscape of in vitro fertilization, offering renewed hope to couples struggling to conceive. The innovative method has shown a remarkable jump in success rates, increasing the likelihood of pregnancy from 34% to 65%, a breakthrough that could redefine fertility treatments worldwide. Early clinical data paints a striking picture: 20 successful pregnancies from just 31 embryo transfers, a dramatic advantage over the 14 pregnancies from 41 transfers seen in the control group.
At the core of the innovation is a precise and advanced method for selecting the highest-quality sperm cells, based on World Health Organization criteria. By significantly improving the quality of fertilization, this technology enhances the chances of a healthy pregnancy and birth.
The technology was developed in the lab of Natan T. Shaked, chair of Tel Aviv University’s Biomedical Engineering Department. The findings have already gained recognition in leading scientific journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Advanced Science, and Fertility and Sterility.
With dozens of couples already enrolled in the trials, this pioneering approach is paving the way for a new era in fertility treatments, bringing cutting-edge science to those desperately hoping to become parents.
We knew sperm selection was important, but the fact that we could nearly double the success rate of IVF was surprising
Shaked said the findings have exceeded his expectations. “We knew sperm selection was important, but the fact that we could nearly double the success rate of IVF was surprising. This proves that sperm selection is a much more critical factor than previously believed,” he told The Media Line.
While problems with sperm contribute to nearly half of all infertility cases, sperm selection in IVF is relatively crude. “Most of the selection process in IVF has focused on eggs, simply because sperm selection was not as advanced,” Shaked explained. “Now, with our technology, we can ensure that only the best sperm cells are chosen—without harming or discarding viable eggs.”
One of the biggest challenges in fertility treatments has been the lack of precise tools to evaluate sperm quality in real time. Until now, sperm selection was based primarily on motility (movement) and basic morphology (shape), but key factors like internal sperm structure and DNA integrity were nearly impossible to assess without damaging the cells.
“For decades, there was no way to link sperm selection with all the necessary criteria,” Shaked said. “To analyze the internal structure of sperm cells, you had to chemically stain them, which meant you couldn’t use them for fertilization. Our technology changes that completely.”
Shaked’s team developed an optical imaging technique that allows clinicians to evaluate sperm without chemical staining, using light interference and holography to analyze three key factors simultaneously: internal sperm morphology, motility, and DNA fragmentation. Checking for internal morphology ensures structural integrity, checking for motility allows technicians to choose the most active and viable sperm, and checking for DNA fragmentation allows technicians to avoid sperm with damaged genetic material.
“This is the first technology that can assess all three parameters at a single-cell level, in real time, and on live sperm,” Shaked said. “This was a huge technological barrier, and we found a way to overcome it.”
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The technology is now being promoted through QART Medical, a startup founded to bring the innovation to hospitals. Shaked co-founded the company six years ago with Alon Shalev, who serves as CEO.
“While we developed and tested the technology in our lab, we couldn’t conduct full IVF treatments because we’re not a hospital,” Shaked explained. “To make this available to patients, we had to create a device that met hospital standards.”
The research is now in clinical trials across five hospitals in Israel—Barzilai, Meir, Assuta, HaEmek, and Galilee hospitals—as well as in two leading international institutions: UCSF Medical Center in California and the University of Tokyo Hospital in Japan.
“These collaborations allow us to test the technology at a global scale and prove its effectiveness in different medical environments,” Shaked said.
Shalev, QART Medical’s CEO, described the company’s technology as a next-generation microscope that provides embryologists with a radically new way to evaluate sperm cells.
It allows clinicians to see the full internal structure of sperm cells in real time, without damaging them, which was never possible before
“It looks like a regular microscope, but in fact, it’s an upgraded system that employs 3D holographic imaging,” he told The Media Line. “It allows clinicians to see the full internal structure of sperm cells in real time, without damaging them, which was never possible before.”
He said that clinicians who hear about the technology’s results “say it sounds too good to be true.”
For Shalev, the most rewarding part of the journey has been seeing real couples achieve their dream of becoming parents.
“There was a couple who had gone through 15 consecutive failed IVF cycles. You can imagine the agony and heartbreak of going through that over and over again,” he recalled. “On their 16th attempt, their clinic offered them the option to try this new technology as part of a study. They agreed—and this time, they conceived. A month and a half ago, they had their first baby.”
We’re not just developing a product—we’re giving people a chance to build families
Stories like that are what motivate them, Shalev said. “We’re not just developing a product—we’re giving people a chance to build families,” he explained.
The next step for QART Medical is global expansion. Shalev said that the company plans to expand to additional countries this year.
The company is also working on the next evolution of the technology—automated sperm selection.
“Right now, embryologists are using our device to make more informed choices. In the future, the system itself will be able to select the best sperm cells automatically, based on all available criteria. That’s where we’re headed,” Shalev explained.
Shaked emphasized that current sperm selection is still highly subjective, with different clinicians making different decisions based on limited visual information. “Our system provides them with the missing data they need to make better choices. And once we fully automate the process, it will remove human bias and make sperm selection more precise than ever before,” he said.
With early results showing success rates nearly double that of conventional IVF, Shaked is confident that his technology will reshape the future of fertility treatment.
“We are giving embryologists a new way to see sperm—like giving them glasses that allow them to see the invisible,” he said. “This will not only increase the chances of pregnancy but also improve the health of babies born through IVF. It’s a game changer for fertility medicine.”
