Carmel Diagnostics was founded in 2009 with a specific aim to use innovation to transform diagnostic healthcare. Over the years, the business has grown as an expert in the use of oxidative stress as an important health indicator. Oxidative stress is an imbalance of chemicals in the body and is linked with multiple illnesses. ThermoChemiLuminescence (TCL) technology, the first benchtop tool that can quickly and non-invasively examine oxidative stress in body fluids at the point of therapy, is one of its most major advancements.

They are currently focusing on infertility, one of the most serious medical issues, with the technology's broad ability. With IVF success rates staying awfully low and 1 in 7 couples experiencing problems getting pregnant, the company offers new hope. By detecting oxidative stress in the development of the embryo media, their Fertissimo technology assists in discovering the healthiest embryos without harming them. Strong support has been given for this innovation, including Merck Serono's support and a €2.7 million grant from the EU's Horizon 2020 SME program. Fertissimo offers an important rise in reproductive success, as shown by a 2016 pilot research and a larger follow-up that showed up to a 20% increase in successful IVF pregnancies.

Solutions Offered by Carmel Diagnostics

Morphology

The main method to decide whether an embryo is in good condition and likely to grow depends on morphology. During this process, an expert examines the embryo under the microscope to understand its form, level of fragmentation, and the rate of cell division. This method has specific problems but has still been in use for a long time. Multiple experts might give different marks because it depends on who is performing the check. In addition, morphology can't always show if an embryo will successfully attach or result in pregnancy, as it simply shows the embryo's look and does not reveal what's going on inside the cells.

Time-Lapse

Time-lapse technology has been used by many IVF clinics in recent years to evaluate embryos accurately. By using this method, experts can observe how quickly the cells divide from the very start by capturing clear images of the embryos inside the incubator at certain times. Experts have the chance to select the healthiest embryos for implantation by timing each cell split. Studies suggest that time-lapse only improves IVF success rates by approximately 10%, although it gives more accurate information than earlier methods. It suggests that more effective ways of choosing the best embryos are still needed. 

Fortissimo

Fertissimo is an advanced device in Carmel Diagnostics that identifies the most suitable embryos for implantation, improving the success of IVF treatments. It achieves this by detecting oxidative stress, a chemical imbalance connected with the survival of embryos. Fertissimo uses a noninvasive biochemical test in contrast to more traditional methods that rely on visual assessment, like morphology or time-lapse imaging. Without getting into contact with or harming the embryo, it analyzes the culture media during which it develops. This offers a better and clear picture of the embryo's chances of being born.

The testing process is simple and fast. From the developing embryo's well, a 15 μl portion of the culture media is taken and put in a cuvette. A thin layer of the sample is applied, and it is dried under vacuum. Following drying, it is heated up, and the system uses the ThermoChemiLuminescence (TCL) technology from Carmel Diagnostics to measure light (photon) emissions during a 300-second period. Emissions like these show the level of oxidative stress and help in finding the embryo with the best chance of implantation. Fertissimo has been proven to increase IVF success rates by over 15% and provides results in just 8 minutes. It offers information on the possibility of pregnancy during a particular period and works with both fresh and frozen embryos.

The Man Behind Carmel Diagnostics

Tzali Cnaani, CEO of Carmel Diagnostics, has years of experience in developing products, corporate leadership, and development and research. He has a B.Sc. in Physics from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and was the former head of Lumitest and Afimilk.

Fertissimo is an advanced device in Carmel Diagnostics that identifies the most suitable embryos for implantation, improving the success of IVF treatments.