Embryo: I’m going to start getting ready to become a baby.
ㆍKaihealth’s AI-powered fertility solution automatically selects the healthiest embryos to increase the chances of pregnancy.
ㆍThe south korea-based startup, which created the first fertility solution in Asia, has recently raised funds for a pre-Series A round and is preparing to expand globally with its European medical device certification.
ㆍFamilyTech is bringing happiness to families worldwide and helping to overcome the challenges of a declining birthrate and aging population.
A Great Birth
Congratulations! You’re a winner. Because you had a successful birth. If you didn’t win the competition as a sperm, you wouldn’t be here reading this article. Your existence is a remarkable achievement. To become a fetus, a single sperm needs to successfully fertilize an egg out of 100 to 200 million potential competitors. Although this process is natural and successful for most people, there are those who face difficulties. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), 15% of the world’s population suffers from infertility, and this number is increasing.
One of the last options for couples struggling to conceive is In Vitro Fertilization(IVF). This involves collecting around 10 eggs and fertilizing them with sperm outside of the body. The healthiest embryos are then chosen and implanted into the uterus to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. However, the selection process can vary depending on the researcher’s expertise and visual assessment, leading to inconsistencies and potential pregnancy failure. But what if AI could accurately select the best embryos for successful pregnancy? That’s where Kaihealth comes in – using AI to predict the birth of a healthy baby.
How to Win at Games of Odds
Kaihealth created a software called Vita Embryo that utilizes machine learning to determine which embryos have the highest chances of success. Data from embryo photos taken from multiple clinics in South Korea, Malaysia, and the United States were collected and used to create five algorithms which predict pregnancy, fetal quality, and blastocyst formation. By taking a picture of an embryo and uploading it to the cloud system, the AI quickly evaluates and scores the embryo’s chances of a successful pregnancy in just a matter of seconds. AWS cloud is used to create the AI models that drive the results, so users receive reports on every step of the way.
Achieving pregnancy is a game of chance. Fertility treatments can be quite expensive, with some costing up to $20,000 and only having a 30% success rate. However, there is a way to improve the odds of success by using an AI solution that selects the healthiest embryos from the combinations of sperm and egg. When used alone, Kaihealth’s AI program can improve the accuracy of embryo selection by 10%. But when used in partnership with embryologists, it can predict pregnancy with 25% higher accuracy. This reduces the time required for researchers to manually examine embryos under a microscope and make judgments about the number of embryonic stem cells and the percentage of broken cells.
Asia’s population is going to grow
Asia is Kaihealth’s prioritized foothold in the global fertility market. This is because Asia has a large amount of embryo data and no competitors as of yet. Singapore, in particular, is the ideal country for conducting a PoC (Proof of Concept). According to Kaihealth’s CEO, Hyejun Lee, Singapore has a diverse population that is essential for AI development. Additionally, Singapore is a hub for medical tourism and has a mix of public and for-profit healthcare systems which allows for experimentation with different revenue models. If Kaihealth’s program were to be rolled out across Asia, the region’s population could grow exponentially and become a global powerhouse.
They also propose to use their program as a medical device in many countries around the world. Kaihealth has obtained CE MDR certification from the European Union in 2023, which recognizes the software as a medical device in continental Europe. This certification has enabled the company to take its rich fertility data global. Additionally, Kaihealth has raised a pre-Series A investment recently.
Things not to misunderstand
It’s important to note that Kaihealth has incorporated AI algorithms in the embryo selection process, replacing human subjective evaluation. However, they believe that this does not mean that AI should be given all the decision-making power. Kaihealth offers infertile couples another option when choosing an IVF treatment method by providing them with an AI program in addition to a human doctor. Couples can choose to let the AI decide by filling out a questionnaire. The AI can only select “strong embryos” that are likely to conceive, and it does not consider race, gender, height, or facial features. In a world where AI can perform these tasks, humans may have to deal with rookism more often.
Their goal is one thing, which is to provide individuals struggling with infertility a chance to experience a successful pregnancy. This will, in turn, help address the issue of low birthrates and create a more balanced ratio of young and old individuals, ultimately leading to a positive shift in the world’s demographics. This is the great birth of humanity, made possible through FamilyTech.
