(Los Angeles, California) September 21, 2021 – IVF services company Ovation Fertility announces the publication of a new study, “Automated detection of poor-quality data: case studies in healthcare,” by Scientific Reports, a Nature portfolio journal. The study, which focuses on a novel data cleansing technique to improve the use of artificial intelligence in embryo selection in IVF and in pneumonia detection in chest X-rays, is now available online at OvationFertility.com and at Nature.com.
The international study was co-produced by US-Australian AI healthcare company Presagen and U.S.-based Ovation Fertility, in collaboration with the Department of Medical Imaging – SAMI, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Campus, in Adelaide, Australia. Authors include Milad Dakka (Presagen), Tuc Van Nguyen (Presagen), Jonathan Hall (Presagen), Sonya Diakiw (Presagen), Matthew “Tex” VerMilyea (Ovation), Rebecca Linke (SAMI), Michelle Perugini (Presagen) and Don Perugini (Presagen).
“This study proved that the UDC algorithm can automatically detect errors in medical data – even those that may be missed by trained medical experts,” says Matthew “Tex” VerMilyea, PhD, HCLD/CC, Ovation’s vice president of scientific advancement. “The development of this novel algorithm is one giant leap toward the creation of commercially scalable and reliable AI products for use not only in the IVF lab, but in other healthcare applications. I’m proud to have been part of this study and look forward to ongoing collaborative research with Presagen as we work together to develop new technologies that will improve IVF outcomes for families.”
This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a novel data cleansing algorithm, Untrainable Data Cleansing (UDC), that can automatically identify and allow removal of poor-quality data to improve AI performance and reporting. This patent-pending algorithm was developed by Presagen for its Life Whisperer product, which uses AI to select the best embryo for transfer to help improve IVF pregnancy outcomes. Already in use in IVF labs worldwide, Life Whisperer has been shown to perform 25% better than manual embryo assessment methods, which rely largely on visual appearance of an embryo under a microscope.
In this study, the UDC was also applied to chest X-rays, identifying poor-quality images that are clinically uninformative and counter-productive to training AI systems. UDC was also applied to two non-medical problems: detection of mislabeled vehicle types as well as cats and dogs.
In all cases, UDC effectively identified poor-quality data and significantly improved accuracy and generalizability. Other benefits included protection of private patient data and reduced time, cost and data needed for AI system training. Results also indicate that UCD could be useful as a triage tool to identify difficult clinical cases that may warrant in-depth evaluation or additional testing to support a diagnosis.
Learn more about Ovation research at OvationFertility.com/Research.
About Ovation Fertility
Ovation® Fertility is a national network of reproductive endocrinologists and scientific thought leaders focused on reducing the cost of having a family through more efficient and effective fertility care. Ovation’s IVF and genetics laboratories, along with affiliated physician practices, work collaboratively to raise the bar for IVF treatment, with state-of-the-art, evidence-based fertility services that give hopeful parents the best chance for a successful pregnancy. Physicians partner with Ovation to offer their patients advanced preconception carrier screening; preimplantation genetic testing; donor egg and surrogacy services; and secure storage for their frozen eggs, embryos and sperm. Ovation also helps IVF labs across America improve their quality and performance with expert off-site lab direction and consultation. Learn more about Ovation’s vision of a world without infertility at www.OvationFertility.com.
About Presagen
Presagen is an artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare company focused on building scalable AI products to improve women’s healthcare outcomes globally. Presagen changes the way the global medical data is connected to build and deliver affordable, accessible, AI-enabled healthcare products. Its platform, The Social Network for Healthcare, connects a global collaborative network of clinics and their diverse medical data to create scalable and unbiased AI products. Presagen’s flagship fertility products are branded Life Whisperer and focus on the application of AI to improve IVF outcomes for couples struggling with fertility. Life Whisperer applications are authorized for sale in two thirds of the global market and are being sold in IVF clinics globally. Learn more at www.Presagen.com.