Edison Gerena, PhD in robotics, is pursuing his post-doctoral research at ISIR. He is financed by the SATT Lutech with a view to transferring the results of his work to a technology company in 2022. He is one of the grand prize winners of the i-PhD competition, which was awarded on 8 July.
Discover the 2021 list of winners : https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/cid159143/concours-d-innovation-2021-243-laureats-tous-volets-confondus-dont-69-laureats-i-lab-et-43-laureats-i-phd.html
Description of his Optobots project:
The Optobots project proposes a new tool for single-cell manipulation, particularly of gametes for In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises infertility as a public health problem, affecting about 15% of couples of childbearing age. More than eight million children worldwide have been born through IVF. In France, 1 in 30 babies are born using these techniques and more than 100,000 attempts are made each year in assisted reproduction centres. However, less than 10% of embryos conceived in vitro are successfully implanted. IVF technologies, especially those concerning micromanipulation, have evolved little since the first IVF-ICSI was performed 30 years ago. Results are operator dependent and vary considerably from one laboratory to another: in France for example, the success rate varies from 15 to 35%.
Optobots uses innovative and patented robotic technologies to automate and assist complete IVF cycles to reduce human error and variability of results, while optimising the handling time required by embryologists to complete a cycle. Optobots’ ultimate ambition is to contribute to increasing the success rate of IVF.
Contact: Edison Gerena, PhD in robotics
