AutoIVF, a fertility technology company developing automated solutions for reproductive medicine, today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed clinical study in Nature Medicine describing the recovery of additional oocytes from discarded follicular fluid following standard clinical screening using the company’s automated egg-recovery technology, OvaReady™.

The study evaluated follicular fluid samples from 582 patients across four accredited in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics and examined the performance of an automated, microfluidics-based approach to egg isolation applied after routine embryology screening. The findings indicate that additional oocytes may remain present in follicular fluid designated for disposal following standard manual visual inspection, and that such oocytes can be recovered using an automated process independent of visual identification.

The publication addresses a long-standing aspect of IVF laboratory practice: the reliance on manual visual screening to identify oocytes in follicular fluid. While substantial advances have occurred in downstream IVF laboratory processes, the initial egg identification step has remained largely unchanged for decades.

In a limited clinical context, AutoIVF also reported a live birth associated with an oocyte recovered using the OvaReady system following standard screening. The birth is reported as an observational outcome and is consistent with the developmental competence findings described in the published study.

Infertility affects millions of individuals worldwide, with IVF remaining the primary treatment option. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a single IVF cycle in the United States typically costs between $15,000 and $20,000. Clinical outcomes are influenced by multiple factors, including the number and quality of oocytes available for fertilization, often leading patients to undergo multiple treatment cycles.

OvaReady is designed to automate the isolation and preparation of oocytes from follicular fluid using precision microfluidics. The system processes complex biological samples containing blood, tissue fragments, and debris, with the objective of recovering oocytes that may not be identified during standard visual screening. The technology is intended to integrate downstream of existing clinical workflows without altering stimulation protocols or patient-facing procedures.

“The Nature Medicine publication provides clinical data that quantifies a previously under-recognized source of oocyte loss during IVF treatment,” said Dr. Ravi Kapur, co-founder and CEO of AutoIVF. “Our focus has been to generate rigorous, peer-reviewed evidence to inform how automation may improve consistency and completeness in egg recovery, while working closely with clinicians and regulators.”

“Microfluidics gives us something biology has always demanded but engineering rarely delivered at this scale: control. By precisely governing fluids, forces, and timing, it turns complex, variable biological processes into automated systems that are reliable, standardized, and reproducible,” said Dr. Mehmet Toner, Professor at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, co-founder and scientific advisor to AutoIVF.

The study, conducted in collaboration with scientific and clinical advisors affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, reported the following findings:

• Additional oocytes were recovered in 54.3% of patients from follicular fluid that had already undergone standard manual screening

• Recovered oocytes were observed across all patient response categories, including patients with low initial egg yields (0–5 oocytes)

• 50.3% of recovered oocytes were classified as mature (Metaphase I or II) at the time of assessment

• In a pilot clinical evaluation, oocytes recovered using the automated system demonstrated fertilization and embryo development metrics comparable to those of conventionally recovered oocytes

“These data suggest that automated recovery may help address previously unknown limitations in manual egg identification,” said Dr. Denny Sakkas, co-founder and scientific advisor to AutoIVF. “For certain patient populations, particularly those with low egg yields, the recovery of additional oocytes may be clinically relevant, though further study will be important.”

The frequency of additional oocyte recovery was observed across all patient groups evaluated, including low-, intermediate-, and high-response cohorts.

“The ability to recover eggs that are routinely missed—without changing stimulation protocols, lab workflows, or patient experience—represents a meaningful advance for reproductive medicine,” added Dr. Thomas Toth, co-founder and clinical advisor to AutoIVF.

OvaReady was developed with multi-year support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH grant R44HD105529) and funding from venture and strategic investors. AutoIVF is continuing to engage with regulatory authorities and clinical partners to evaluate the system’s role in broader clinical use.

The Nature Medicine paper, "Microfluidic automation improves oocyte recovery from follicular fluid of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization,” Baris R. Mutlu¹, Sabrina C. Civale¹, Joshua Diettrich¹, Neha Gupta¹, Thomas Barber¹, Mitchel Sayare¹, Alan S. Penzias^1,2, Michael M. Alper^1,2, Thomas L. Toth^1,2, Ravi Kapur¹, Mehmet Toner^1,3, Denny Sakkas^1*, Emre Ozkumur^1*, is published online and in print.

For more information on AutoIVF and to learn more about OvaReady, visit www.autoivf.com.

About AutoIVF

Founded in 2019 by leaders with over 200 years of combined experience in reproductive medicine and microfluidic engineering, AutoIVF Inc. is advancing the future of fertility care through cutting-edge innovation, intelligent automation, and a commitment to broadening access. Its flagship system, OvaReady, is designed to streamline and enhance the egg identification and preparation process in IVF. AutoIVF is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts.

¹ AutoIVF Inc, Natick, MA, USA. ² Department of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. ³ Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, BioMEMS Resource Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. ^* These authors jointly supervised this work.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44HD105529. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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In more than 50% of IVF cases, functional oocytes are unintentionally missed during manual screening of the follicular fluid.