In vitro fertilization (IVF) has revolutionized reproductive medicine, offering hope to one in seven couples in Europe facing subfertility. The process involves fertilizing eggs with sperm outside the body to create embryos, typically producing several per cycle. However, only about 18% of initial embryos result in live births, causing emotional and physical strain from repeated attempts. To improve success rates, current methods like time-lapse incubators and genetic testing help assess embryo quality, but they often aren’t enough. These techniques either focus on morphological changes or genetic integrity but do not significantly increase pregnancy rates and may involve invasive procedures.
The HYLIGHT project aims to tackle this critical challenge by introducing a non-invasive diagnostic device that identifies the most viable embryos based on their metabolic profiles. It emerged as the natural continuation of the HYSPLANT project from ATTRACT phase 1, where researchers developed a proof-of-concept (PoC) device to transform it into a clinical prototype during phase 2.
HYLIGHT combines hyperspectral imaging with artificial intelligence to detect key metabolites correlated with embryo viability and unlike existing methods, it uses intrinsic fluorescence to monitor live embryos, minimizing damage and enhancing precision. This technology improves selection accuracy and mitigates risks associated with multiple embryo transfers, such as premature birth and maternal complications.
“Improving the embryo selection step at the clinic would also reduce the time to pregnancy and would alleviate the psychological burden of patients after several failed cycles”,
explained Samuel Ojosnegros, principal investigator at IBEC and coordinator of HYLIGHT.
Progress and key milestones achieved
The research team recently published a paper in the PNAS journal, introducing METAPHOR, a non-invasive diagnostic tool designed to improve the selection of oocytes and embryos for IVF. By combining hyperspectral imaging with AI, this tool analyzes natural autofluorescence to assess metabolic health, providing greater accuracy than traditional methods. METAPHOR has demonstrated over 90% accuracy in classifying the viability of blastocysts and oocytes in mouse embryos, as well as more than 80% accuracy in predicting which oocytes will develop into blastocysts. In addition, this technology improves the classification of metabolically altered embryos by 30% compared to human evaluators.
Additionally, they have participated in different conferences to showcase the project’s advancements. Last year, the HYLIGHT coordinator presented the impact of this new methodology at the 79th annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in New Orleans, USA. This event considered the most significant in its field, provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen existing collaborations and foster new ones. The research team also took part at the XII Congress of the Spanish Association for the Study of Biology of Reproduction (ASEBIR) in Majorca, where they highlighted the results that support the proposed technology to select embryos.
In November 2024, Ojosnegros attended the 32nd World Congress on Controversies in Obstetrics, Gynecology & Infertility (COGI) in Portugal to talk about the future of non-invasive embryo selection and emerging technologies in the field. Moreover, he was part of the 2nd AI Fertility World Conference in Croatia, to present the power of AI-based hyperspectral image analysis as a robust decision support system.
On the other hand, Anna Ferrer participated in the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA) Annual Conference in Brussels. This event focused on innovation and resilience to strengthen European competitiveness, and she had the opportunity to present the recent advances on the project.
A new spinout: Lumiris
In early 2024, Lumiris emerged as a spin-off from IBEC, building on years of research. This was made possible through various factors: the initial investment from a venture capital firm supporting the IBEC research group’s efforts to develop advanced technologies for improving women’s health, and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program, through ATTRACT, provided crucial financial support for the project’s development.
“This month we have successfully closed a seed round with private investors and equity crowdfunding. We are now excited to take the next important step towards clinical validation of our technology”,
explained Anna Ferrer, Project Manager at Lumiris.
HYLIGHT main applications
The project’s main application is the reproduction field. In fact, after conducting market studies and discussing with IVF clinics, the research team found that improving treatment efficiency could significantly reduce costs, which currently range from €6,000 and €30,000. This reduction would enable clinics to assist more patients, which is crucial in countries where IVF is privately funded and often too expensive for most people. By lowering costs, IVF would become more accessible, democratizing fertility treatment and helping more families fulfil their dream of having children.
HYLIGHT is coordinated by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in collaboration with the Dexeus in vitro fertilization clinics and M-Squared, a laser and microscope manufacturing company in Europe, the UK and the USA.
Here you can watch a video of the HYLIGHT project:
For additional information about the project, visit here.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) has revolutionized reproductive medicine, offering hope to one in seven couples in Europe facing subfertility. The process involves fertilizing eggs with sperm outside the body to create embryos, typically producing several per cycle. However, only about 18% of initial embryos result in live births, causing emotional and physical strain from repeated […]
