Columbia’s AI-powered STAR System finds rare sperm that conventional fertility methods miss

Key takeaways

Columbia University Fertility Center director Zev Williams, MD, developed the Sperm Tracking and Recovery (STAR) System, which uses high-powered imaging to capture more than 8 million images of a semen sample in under an hour and then deploys AI and a robot to identify and physically isolate rare sperm invisible to conventional methods, without dyes, lasers or repeated centrifugation. The system targets patients with azoospermia, which affects up to 15 percent of men with infertility, and has produced healthy births for couples who had tried for years or, in one case, decades. It’s currently available only at Columbia and not covered by insurance, but an at-home collection kit lowers the barrier to providing a sample.

When it comes to fertility struggles, conversations largely center on what’s going on in a woman’s reproductive system and what’s inherently “wrong” with her. Female patients are typically the ones undergoing related medical procedures to either retrieve and freeze their eggs or become pregnant through in vitro fertilization. However, according to Zev Williams, MD, an OB-GYN and director of Columbia University Fertility Center, research shows that male infertility actually accounts for roughly 50 percent of fertility cases. Still, most research on infertility has focused on women and their egg supply and quality. This perpetuates the narrative that it’s on them to determine why they’re experiencing infertility, and it’s why they usually bear the brunt of the emotional road to parenthood, in addition to the physical effects on their bodies.

“It’s important to educate both men and women that everyone can experience infertility, but there are treatments and procedures available that can help them overcome infertility and grow their families,” Williams says.

Williams is looking to change that narrative and shine the spotlight on where male patients can take charge of their reproductive health to potentially streamline their family-planning journey. That’s why he developed the Sperm Tracking and Recovery (STAR) System, a first-of-its-kind program that uses artificial intelligence to identify and isolate rare sperm that cannot be seen or recovered using conventional fertility methods. It works by employing high-powered imaging technology to scan through sperm samples, taking over 8 million images in under an hour and using a robot and AI to identify, remove and recover sperm that the human eye can often miss under a microscope. The STAR System’s process takes milliseconds and eliminates the need for dyes, lasers or multiple rounds of centrifugation to separate blood and cell components, he says.

“Our team at Columbia University Fertility Center worked with microfluidics experts to produce a microfluidic chip engraved with a series of channels as thin as a human hair that are capable of isolating the portion of the semen sample containing the sperm cell,” Williams explains. “By performing this work directly, the technology makes fertilization possible in cases where pregnancy could not previously occur.”

While a typical semen sample contains hundreds of millions of sperm, that number may not matter at all if none or very few are healthy. Additionally, some patients may have conditions such as azoospermia (which can affect up to 15 percent of men with infertility), in which they have zero or very few sperm in a sample. Others may have obstructive or nonobstructive blockages preventing sperm from combining with semen. As in many areas of healthcare, AI was already being used in fertility care to select sperm or choose embryos. However, this is the first time AI has been used to physically perform the work of identifying and isolating sperm that would otherwise be undetectable. To do this, patients just need to provide a sperm sample, which can be collected at Columbia University Fertility Center or with the practice’s at-home collection kit. From there, the center’s fertility staff inputs the sample into the STAR System.

While Williams and his team have spent many years researching how to bring the technology to life, it has so far only been made available to patients at Columbia University Fertility Center in its first year, and it is currently not covered by insurance. Whether the “rare sperm” located by the STAR System is healthy or unhealthy varies, and quality is individual for each patient. That said, the technology has so far helped couples who tried to become pregnant for years, and in one case decades, successfully conceive and have healthy babies, Williams says.

The STAR System’s home collection kit was born out of the need for at-home healthcare options during the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising rates of male infertility, Williams says.

“Getting a sperm sample to put through the STAR System is not invasive at all, and some would say it is easier and less invasive than many of the fertility procedures women may undergo,” he says. “The at-home kit reduces barriers to treatment by enabling patients to undergo sample collection in the privacy of their own home, which can also help avoid the stress of needing to come into the office setting.”

For patients who may not be able to easily access direct care through Columbia University Fertility Center, he simply advises them to take charge of their fertility and family planning journey by talking to their care team.

“Patients struggling with infertility should seek out an evaluation with a fertility specialist sooner rather than later,” he says. “There are so many new advancements that can help.”

Emilia Benton is a Denver-based health and wellness journalist whose work has appeared in publications such as Runner’s World, SELF, and Women’s Health. She is also a 15-time marathoner, USATF Level 1-certified running coach, and an avid traveler.