In South Africa, the world’s first babies conceived with the help of a mobile IVF laboratory have been born. The unique project offers a low-cost and straightforward way to treat infertility in places where reproductive medicine was previously unavailable.
The mobile laboratory is a trailer equipped with everything needed for fertilisation and embryo growth. Developed by an international team led by embryologist Willem Ombelet, the technology costs several times less than conventional IVF. Instead of expensive equipment, it uses sealed tubes with a gas mixture — this helps maintain the procedure’s effectiveness at minimal cost.
Of the ten women in the first trials, five became pregnant, and two healthy babies have already been born, while the other pregnancies are continuing. The project will be tested in Egypt and Indonesia and could be expanded to dozens of countries. It is a real step toward reducing inequality in access to reproductive medicine, especially in regions with high rates of infertility and limited medical resources.
