Revolutionary test for male infertility can be a game changer for couples striving to conceive

SINGAPORE, May 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A simple, but revolutionary test has been developed to help unravel the mystery of infertility among men who display normal semen parameters.

Infertility affects an estimated one in every six couples worldwide with male factor prevalent in about half of those cases.

For many of those men who have seemingly otherwise healthy sperm the anguish of their condition is deepened by the perplexity of an underlying reproductive dysfunction called CatSper-related male infertility.

In these cases, there are defects in the chemosensory CatSper channels of sperm that allows them to move in a whip-like fashion essential to penetrate the coating of a female egg. If penetration fails, fertilisation is not possible.

There are many case histories in fertility treatment of couples where conventional IVF and intrauterine insemination (IUI) has failed, but where single sperm injection of an egg – known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI – has resulted in a pregnancy.

The 2025 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) in Singapore today heard of a breakthrough diagnostic test for CatSper-related male infertility that has delivered remarkable validation results.

Dr Samuel Young, a pathfinding researcher in the Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology at the University Hospital Münster in Germany, said a desire to better understand the role of CatSper in male fertility led to the development of the test as a novel diagnostic tool.

"Sperm generate a powerful swimming behaviour known as hyperactivation. CatSper, a specific calcium channel found exclusively in the tail of sperm, controls this swimming behaviour.

"If CatSper is defective, sperm cannot hyperactivate and the egg remains unfertilised. The man is therefore infertile.

"The CatSper test is a simple procedure with a standard semen analysis. It quickly and reliably determines whether a CatSper defect is present, enabling evidence-based therapy choices for couples with unexplained infertility.

"We used it to screen 2,386 patients as a proof-of-concept study. It showed exceptional sensitivity and specificity of the test with precise assessment of CatSper function.

"It has transformed the CatSper test from a scientific possibility into a diagnostic device for everyday clinical practice.

"For the first time it allows diagnosis of CatSper defect in male infertility potentially preventing couples from embarking on unsuccessful medically assisted reproduction attempts such as IUI and IVF.

"This has the potential to save patient expense and possible adverse effects of hormonal stimulation in IVF for the female partners.

"The time factor of going through cycles of IVF is also an important consideration for couples striving to conceive, especially when almost every day counts among women in their thirties and forties when fertility is in decline.

"The CatSper test can guide clinicians toward more personalised, evidence-based treatment approaches, including ICSI."

The ASPIRE Congress in Singapore has attracted around 2,000 scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors in fertility health to address latest global advances in assisted reproduction.

For more information, go to www.aspire2025.com

Interview: Dr Samuel Young is available for interview.