Lumiris

Our team comprises biologists, physicists, engineers, and experienced entrepreneurs. With prior ventures such as Serabiotics and collaborations across pharmaceutical and engineering sectors, we bring a wealth of expertise. Additionally, we lead the management team of The Open Innovation Lab at IBEC, spearheading a pioneering approach to technology development.

Within our technical team, optical physicists adept in software development and prototyping optical systems work alongside embryologists with extensive clinical and research backgrounds. External advisors from industry and clinical fields further complement our expertise. With this diverse and capable team, Lumiris is poised to tackle the challenges of bringing a medical device to market.

We are committed to enhancing the efficiency of IVF cycles. Our focus is on reducing the time it takes for IVF patients to acheive a pregnancy and alleviating the emotional, physical, and financial burdens associated with infertility. Our strategy involves revolutionizing current embryo evaluation practices in clinics by transitioning from morphology-based assessments to metabolic imaging. Metabolism serves as a more objective and physiological indicator of embryo health. Through the utilization of hyperspectral imaging, we identify key metabolites within the embryo and accurately quantify their concentrations. This innovative approach generates color-coded 3D representations of embryos, supplying both embryologists and AI algorithms with precise quantitative data for informed decision-making.

For over four decades, IVF has relied on subjective evaluations of embryos based on black and white images from bright field microscopes. The introduction of time-lapse videos represented the latest advancement, offering insights into dynamic embryo growth. However, these videos still rely on the same black and white pictures, providing solely morphological data. Despite the potential for AI algorithms to analyze these images and videos, our survey of over 100 IVF clinics reveals that embryologists’ or physicians’ opinions often supersede AI assessments in cases of disagreement.

In contrast, our technology explores the embryo at a deeper level, offering real-time, color-coded metabolic images. Each color and its intensity translate into the presence and concentration of key metabolites crucial for embryo health. Our images allow embryologists to objectively assess the physiological status of embryos, bypassing subjective interpretation. Additionally, our preclinical data demonstrate that AI algorithms can significantly outperform human assessment in analyzing these images.

Main results: 

Through the imaging of hundreds of mouse and human embryos, we’ve made significant discoveries:

•  Morphology does not consistently correlate with embryo physiology (health).
•  Our method offers resolution beyond the capabilities of the human eye with current techniques.
•  Embryologists, when provided with hyperspectral images, demonstrate improved embryo classification even without AI assistance.
•  AI integration provides additional resolution enhancements, maximizing the information contained in our images.
• Human embryos exhibit complex metabolic mosaics, a revelation made possible through hyperspectral imaging, contrasting with current methodologies. Consequently, they cannot be uniformly treated.

Milestones with Mouse Embryos:

• Achieved over 90% accuracy in classifying metabolically diverse mouse blastocysts.
• Achieved over 90% accuracy in classifying young or old oocytes.
• Achieved over 80% accuracy in predicting mouse oocytes reaching the blastocyst stage.

and Human Embryos:

• Discovered a wide metabolic diversity in human embryos previously unknown.
• Demonstrated safety: embryo survival rate after imaging is equivalent to non-imaged embryos.
• Achieved subcellular resolution, allowing separate study of trophectoderm metabolism from inner cell mass metabolism, enhancing grading resolution.
• Developing a new grading system based on metabolism.

As an investor, you’ll have the opportunity to invest in a project led by a team of experienced entrepreneurs who have previously launched successful ventures in the IVF market. With their experience and deep understanding of the industry, coupled with the disruptive nature of our technology, there are high chances of a successful exit strategy at a lucrative valuation. Our team’s strong connections with key stakeholders in the IVF world further increase the likelihood of acquisition by major players in the field, potentially resulting in significant returns on investment. Additionally, investing now offers the opportunity to secure a stake in a company poised for rapid growth, with the added benefit of a discounted valuation, offering the potential for substantial future gains.