HKUMedXelerate 2025 Project Showcase: Unlock AI-Driven Diagnostics Revolutionizing Fertility and Eye Care

Continuing our HKUMedXelerate 2025 series from the LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong, we're spotlighting the Top 10 projects that are set to redefine medical frontiers. These breakthroughs are not just ideas—they're actionable solutions with patents, trials, and partnerships ready to scale.

This edition dives into AI-Powered Diagnostic and Management Systems, featuring two game-changing platforms that leverage artificial intelligence, advanced imaging, and microfluidics to enhance precision in fertility and ophthalmology. With global challenges like rising infertility rates and aging populations straining eye care, these innovations promise faster, more accurate outcomes.

1. Revolutionizing Fertility Care with Intelligent Reproduction Technology (IRT)

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is the most effective treatment for infertility, yet its three core steps, including fertility assessment, gamete and embryo selection, and gamete and embryo preservation, still rely heavily on manual procedures and subjective judgment. This dependence leads to the need for repeated treatment cycles with low success rates, thereby increasing the physical, emotional, and financial burdens on affected couples.

Led by Prof. Philip CHIU, this project introduces the world’s first Intelligent Reproductive Technology (IRT) platform to revolutionize fertility treatments globally. Comprising five integrated modules—AI for gamete analysis, 3D embryo AI assessment, microfluidic imaging chip, live gamete and embryo sorting, and automated cryopreservation—it streamlines the entire ART process to improve success rates, reduce treatment cycles, and lower costs and risks associated with pregnancy complications.

Backed by HKU’s interdisciplinary team, the project holds ten invention patents and features key technologies such as FACED for high-throughput 2D/3D imaging, AI-based fertility prediction, and CytoMAD for batch-effect free analysis. The team has secured MOUs for seed funding and Series A investment from organizations including BaseCare Medical, Gaw Capital Partners, SinoChem Capital, Xinghuo Zhongda Information Technology, and Bioworld Ventures. A clinical trial on AI-driven male fertility analysis is scheduled for December 2025 at Queen Mary and Kwong Wah Hospitals.

Learn more: Scan QR or click HERE to visit

2. SightTorch: AI-Powered System for Diagnosis and Management of Eye Diseases

Led by Prof. Christopher LEUNG, SightTorch addresses the eye care crisis created by specialist shortages and long wait times. This integrated AI platform combines community-based screening with intelligent management. Its advanced AI algorithms, trained through unsupervised learning on over 200,000 ocular images, achieve ophthalmologist-level accuracy in detecting major causes of blindness like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration.

Deployable in outpatient clinics, SightTorch reduces specialist wait times by 90% while providing a 24/7 AI Agent service for personalized reminders, symptom tracking, and decision support. Protected by US patents and backed by HKD 39.8M in UGC funding, it is preparing for a 20,000-patient randomized controlled trial (RCT) with the Hospital Authority. Through multi-center and manufacturer partnerships, SightTorch is poised for global distribution and is projected to serve 150,000 patients annually by 2030.

Learn more: Scan QR or click HERE to visit

These AI advancements from HKU are bridging gaps in diagnostics, empowering clinicians and patients alike. Imagine fewer failed cycles in fertility treatments and preventable blindness averted through accessible tech—Hong Kong is leading the charge.