Revolutionising women’s health, female fertility and early infant neurodevelopment using AI

From conception to childhood: Revolutionising women’s health, female fertility and early infant neurodevelopment using AI

The UK has the largest gender health gap in the G20 and declining fertility rates, with women’s health issues not well understood.

This project aims to develop cheaper, less invasive and more accurate AI-assisted tests that can be used throughout the conception to childhood journey. These tests will be used to enhance and personalise fertility outcomes, and support the transition to parenting. This research will play a key part in improving fertility and women’s health outcomes and shed light on the still largely unknown cellular, molecular and genetic mechanisms governing the development of life.

The University of Cambridge’s Departments of Psychology, Computer Science, and Physics among others will lead this project, in partnership with two leading specialty hospitals.

Dr Staci Weiss, AI-deas challenge co-lead said: “AI-deas provides an interdisciplinary platform bringing together data and new AI analytic approaches to accelerate identification of reproductive health biomarkers from embryo through to neonate.”

Mo Vali, AI-deas challenge co-lead said: “We will seek to revolutionise reproductive health technology using state-of-the-art AI methods, leveraging Cambridge’s long tradition of research in this field. Translating our research from lab to clinic by developing rigorous tests to improve clinical outcomes will benefit the wider public and help to ease the NHS burden.”

Project contributors:

University of Cambridge

• Staci Weiss, Department of Psychology
• Moe Vali, Department of Physics and Department of Computer Science
• Virag Lakner Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience
• Professor Mark Johnson, Department of Psychology
• Professor Pietro Lio, Department of Computer Science
• Junwei Yang, Department of Computer Science
• Dr Diana Fusco, Department of Physics
• Nikhil Krishnan, Department of Physics

The Lister Hospital, HCA

• Professor Yau Thum
• Dr Saaliha Vali

Addenbrooke’s Hospital

• Professor Gordon Smith, Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Eleanor Gibbons, Clinical Medicine