AI finds hidden sperm in infertile men, offering new hope for fatherhood
NCT ID NCT07074015
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a new AI-assisted platform called IntelliWell to find rare sperm cells in testicular tissue from men with non-obstructive azoospermia, a condition where standard analysis finds no sperm. The platform processes tissue that would otherwise be discarded, and if sperm is found, it may be used for IVF. The goal is to see if the AI can successfully locate sperm that manual methods miss.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Male subjects presenting to Brigham and Women's or Faulkner urology clinic with infertility with clinical non-obstructive azoospermia (clinical diagnosis based on two semen analyses, physical examination, and hormonal testing). 2. Male subjects undergoing micro-surgical testicular sperm extraction surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital. 3. Surgically extracted sperm which are not found to have clinically usable quantities of sperm after standard of care manual processing for which samples would otherwise be discarded and the procedure deemed unsuccessful. Exclusion Criteria: 1\. Female subject (with whom male subjects intends to conceive with surgically extracted sperm) cannot or will not provide her informed consent for study participation. She will undergo ICSI at BWH with BWH embryology.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Sperm sorting showdown: can a microchip pick the best sperm for pregnancy?
- Could your genes predict when fertility fades?
- Can virtual reality goggles take the sting out of a fertility procedure?