In a major breakthrough for infertility treatment, doctors at Columbia University Fertility Center have reported the first successful pregnancy using an AI-based system designed specifically to overcome one of the toughest male fertility issues — azoospermia. The couple, who had been trying to conceive for nearly 19 years, are now expecting their first child, Read More
The AI-guided STAR system was developed over five years by a team led by Dr. Zev Williams, director of the center, and is already being hailed as a game-changer in reproductive medicine. Azoospermia is a condition where no sperm is detected in a man’s semen, even though it may appear normal under basic observation. It’s responsible for around 10% of male infertility cases and has historically left couples with very limited options, often pushing them toward donor sperm. “Even with trained technicians, it’s like looking for a needle in thousands of haystacks,” explains Dr. Williams. “The sperm are the smallest cells in the body, and semen samples from azoospermia patients are typically loaded with debris. It’s incredibly difficult to find viable sperm manually.” Inspired by how astrophysicists detect new stars, the STAR system scans up to 8 million images per hour using a custom-trained AI. It works in tandem with a fluidic chip, guiding semen through microscopic channels and directing only those micro-portions containing sperm into a separate collection stream. “It’s more than detection,” says Williams. “It’s precision isolation — gentle enough that the sperm can still be used to fertilize an egg immediately or be frozen for future use.” In test trials, embryologists failed to find sperm even after two days of manual screening, but STAR detected 44 viable sperm in just an hour from the same sample. The first patient to conceive using STAR is Rosie, 38, who asked to use a pseudonym to protect her privacy. Along with her husband, she endured 15 failed IVF cycles and explored every possible avenue — including surgery and international experts — to address his azoospermia. “There really was nothing else out there,” she says. “We were reaching the end, both emotionally and biologically.” They were introduced to Dr. Williams’ program through a community group and, after learning about STAR, decided to try one last time. In March 2025, the couple went through another IVF cycle — this time using STAR. Within two hours, the system successfully isolated sperm from her husband’s sample. Her eggs were fertilized the same day. Unlike traditional IVF, where thousands of sperm compete to fertilize an egg, azoospermia cases flip the odds — more eggs than sperm. STAR allowed the Columbia team to collect, freeze, and store several sperm batches as backup. On egg retrieval day, fresh sperm was collected and used. The fertilization was successful. “Two days after transfer, I still didn’t believe I was pregnant,” says Rosie. Now four months along, she is receiving standard prenatal care and says the experience still feels surreal. “After so many years, I still need to see the scans to believe it.” While STAR was developed to tackle azoospermia, Dr. Williams believes this is just the beginning. “AI allows us to see what we couldn’t before. There are likely many infertility problems we’ve been blind to — now, we’re finally being shown what they are.” For countless couples once told they had no chance of conceiving, AI-powered fertility tools like STAR may offer new hope. And for Rosie and her husband, that hope is now turning into reality — one heartbeat at a time. Azoospermia: The Invisible Barrier
Enter STAR: AI Meets Fertility Science
Rosie’s Journey: From 15 Failed IVF Cycles to Hope
When One Sperm Is All It Takes
A New Era for Male Infertility Treatment
AI Cracks Azoospermia: First Pregnancy Using STAR Technology Reported
In a major breakthrough for infertility treatment, doctors at Columbia University Fertility Center have reported the first successful pregnancy using an AI-based system designed specifically to overcome one of the toughest male fertility issues — azoospermia. The couple, who had been trying to conceive for nearly 19 years, are now expecting their first child, Read More