As IVF demand rises globally, particularly in fast-growing markets like India, clinics are under pressure to improve success rates while scaling efficiently and controlling costs. Variability in critical lab processes, such as egg freezing, continues to impact outcomes and patient confidence. In this exclusive conversation, A.R Ghatak, Senior Vice President – IVF Division, Hanahealth (DSS Imagetech), discusses with Dr. Asawari Savant from Elets News Network (ENN) how automation and microfluidics could redefine consistency, affordability, and future standards in embryology labs. Edited excerpts

As IVF demand grows beyond metro cities, how do you see technologies like DaVitri supporting the expansion of high-quality, standardised fertility care across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in India?

India’s IVF demand is rapidly growing beyond metros into Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Yet, a major challenge in decentralising fertility care is maintaining consistent laboratory quality and clinical outcomes across centres with varying levels of expertise.

DaVitri acts as an equaliser:

• It automates critical aspects of the vitrification workflow that are traditionally manual and skill-dependent.
• It enables repeatability and consistency across clinics, regardless of the location or experience level of embryologists.

In practical terms, this means patients in smaller cities can receive care quality closer to that of top-tier urban centres, helping reduce geographic disparities in fertility outcomes.

With changing career priorities and lifestyle choices among women, why is a technology like DaVitri particularly relevant today, and how can it support women opting for egg freezing?

With changing career priorities, delayed family planning and increasing awareness around reproductive health, more women are choosing to preserve fertility through egg freezing. However, the success of egg freezing hinges on the quality and consistency of the freezing process.

DaVitri’s first microfluidics-based vitrification technology brings much-needed precision and reproducibility to this step. Traditional manual vitrification is highly operator-dependent, which can lead to variability in outcomes. DaVitri standardises key aspects such as cryoprotectant exposure timing and temperature control, making the process more predictable.

For women considering egg freezing, whether for career planning, medical or personal reasons, this means better confidence in the success and future usability of their preserved eggs, reducing one source of uncertainty in an emotionally and financially significant decision.

From a laboratory perspective, how does DaVitri simplify the vitrification process and support embryologists in delivering reliable outcomes at scale?

For embryologists, vitrification is one of the most technically demanding steps in IVF because it requires precise timing and skill, and it is highly sensitive to small variations that can impact viability. DaVitri simplifies this process by using microfluidic control to standardise steps and exposure times, reducing manual handling and subjective judgement, and minimising variability between operators and cycles. As a result, laboratories achieve more consistent outcomes, fewer technical errors, and greater confidence in overall throughput.

Also read: Pioneering Excellence: Agilus Diagnostics Leading the Way in Cutting-Edge Healthcare Solutions

Do you see DaVitri helping make IVF more financially predictable for patients, especially those undergoing multiple cycles?

One of the biggest emotional and financial burdens for IVF patients is the uncertainty around outcomes and the potential need for repeated cycles. By increasing consistency and potentially improving egg survival rates, DaVitri’s microfluidics-based technology helps reduce cycle failures caused by technical variability and may decrease the number of repeat cycles needed to achieve pregnancy. While no technology can guarantee a pregnancy, improving technical reliability contributes to more predictable overall costs, making a meaningful difference for patients navigating an often complex and costly journey.

Like

Dislike

Be a part of Elets Collaborative Initiatives. Join Us for Upcoming Events and explore business opportunities. Like us on Facebook , connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter , Instagram.

"Exciting news! Elets technomedia is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest insights!" Click here!