Darren Jin Xiang Chow

Research Interests

Fertility Reproduction Reproductive Biology Early Origins of Health Fertility and Conception

Mr Darren Jin Xiang Chow

NHMRC Grant-Funded Researchr A

School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

College of Health

Dr Darren JX Chow was awarded his PhD in 2024 for the use of non-invasive light-sheet microscopy for assessing embryo quality.Dr Darren is now an early-career researcher supported by NHMRC funding, working within the Reproductive Success Group in the Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Adelaide. His research sits at the interface of developmental biology and advanced imaging, aimed at visualising early life in its most unperturbed state—without the need for fluorescent labels or dyes.Building on his doctoral work, Darren’s current research seeks to refine light-sheet microscopy techniques to non-invasively assess embryo health, genomic integrity, and developmental potential. By capturing label-free, dynamic snapshots of the earliest stages of life, his work contributes to a deeper understanding of embryo quality and viability, with relevance to both clinical IVF and basic reproductive biology.Research topic: Non-invasive light-sheet microscopy to assess chromosomal integrity and developmental potential in oocytes and embryos without fluorescent labels.Research interests: Label-free optical imaging; light-sheet microscopy; chromosomal abnormalities; early embryo development; embryo culture systems.He is affiliated with the Robinson Research Institute, the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, and the Centre of Light for Life at the University of Adelaide.

Date Position Institution name
2018 - ongoing Research Technician ART Labs Solution

Language Competency
Chinese (Cantonese) Can read, write, speak and understand spoken
Chinese (Mandarin) Can read, write, speak and understand spoken
English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
Malay Can read, write, speak and understand spoken

Date Institution name Country Title
2019 - 2024 The University of Adelaide Australia Doctor in Philosophy (Medicine)
2017 - 2018 The University of Adelaide Australia Honours Degree of Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences
2015 - 2017 The University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Health Sciences

Year Citation
2025 Chow, D. J. X., Moh, E. S. X., Watson, L. N., Daish, T., Gilchrist, R. B., Packer, N. H., . . . Russell, D. L. (2025). Dysregulation of glycosaminoglycans during oocyte maturation in vitro: Implications for developmental potential. Glycobiology, 36(2), 12 pages.
DOI
2024 Chow, D. J. X., Tan, T. C. Y., Upadhya, A., Lim, M., Dholakia, K., & Dunning, K. R. (2024). Viewing early life without labels: optical approaches for imaging the early embryo†. Biology of Reproduction, 110(6), 1157-1174.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC4
2024 Chow, D. J. X., Schartner, E. P., Corsetti, S., Upadhya, A., Morizet, J., Gunn-Moore, F. J., . . . Dholakia, K. (2024). Quantifying DNA damage following light sheet and confocal imaging of the mammalian embryo. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 20760-1-20760-12.
DOI Scopus8 WoS6 Europe PMC7
2023 Dwapanyin, G. O., Chow, D. J. X., Tan, T. C. Y., Dubost, N. S., Morizet, J. M., Dunning, K. R., & Dholakia, K. (2023). Investigation of refractive index dynamics during in vitro embryo development using off-axis digital holographic microscopy. Biomedical Optics Express, 14(7), 3327-3342.
DOI Scopus11 WoS9 Europe PMC8
2023 Morizet, J., Chow, D., Wijesinghe, P., Schartner, E., Dwapanyin, G., Dubost, N., . . . Dholakia, K. (2023). UVA Hyperspectral Light-Sheet Microscopy for Volumetric Metabolic Imaging: Application to Preimplantation Embryo Development. ACS Photonics, 10(12), 4177-4187.
DOI Scopus14 WoS13 Europe PMC8
2022 Campugan, C. A., Lim, M., Chow, D. J. X., Tan, T. C. Y., Li, T., Saini, A. A., . . . Dunning, K. R. (2022). The effect of discrete wavelengths of visible light on the developing murine embryo. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 39(8), 1825-1837.
DOI Scopus13 WoS12 Europe PMC10
2022 Yagoub, S. H., Lim, M., Tan, T. C. Y., Chow, D. J. X., Dholakia, K., Gibson, B. C., . . . Dunning, K. R. (2022). Vitrification within a nanoliter volume: oocyte and embryo cryopreservation within a 3D photopolymerized device. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 39(9), 1997-2014.
DOI Scopus8 WoS6 Europe PMC4
2022 Yagoub, S. H., Lim, M., Tan, T. C. Y., Chow, D. J. X., Dholakia, K., Gibson, B. C., . . . Dunning, K. R. (2022). Correction to: Vitrification within a nanoliter volume: oocyte and embryo cryopreservation within a 3D photopolymerized device.. J Assist Reprod Genet, 39(10), 2435.
DOI
2022 Wijesinghe, P., Corsetti, S., Chow, D. J. X., Sakata, S., Dunning, K. R., & Dholakia, K. (2022). Experimentally unsupervised deconvolution for light-sheet microscopy with propagation-invariant beams.. Light Sci Appl, 11(1), 319.
DOI Scopus22 WoS22 Europe PMC11
2022 Tan, C., Mahbub, S., Campbell, J., Habibalahi, A., Campugan, C., Rose, R., . . . Dunning, K. (2022). Non-invasive, label-free optical analysis to detect aneuploidy within the inner cell mass of the preimplantation embryo. Human Reproduction, 37(1), 14-29.
DOI Scopus36 WoS32 Europe PMC28
2021 Chow, D. J. X., Wijesinghe, P., Dholakia, K., & Dunning, K. R. (2021). Does artificial intelligence have a role in the IVF clinic?. Reproduction and Fertility, 2(3), C29-C34.
DOI Scopus34 WoS30 Europe PMC23
2021 Santos Monteiro, C. A., Chow, D. J. X., Leal, G. R., Tan, C. Y., Reis Ferreira, A. M., Thompson, J. G., & Dunning, K. R. (2021). Optical imaging of cleavage stage bovine embryos using hyperspectral and confocal approaches reveals metabolic differences between on-time and fast-developing embryos. Theriogenology, 159, 60-68.
DOI Scopus23 WoS24 Europe PMC18

Year Citation
2023 Dwapanyin, G. O., Chow, D. J. X., Tan, T. C. Y., Dubost, N. S., Morizet, J. M., Dunning, K. R., & Dholakia, K. (2023). Digital holographic microscopic assessment of embryo quality. In Frontiers in Optics: Proceedings Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science 2023, FiO, LS 2023 (pp. FM1E.2). Online: Optical Society of America.
DOI

Year Citation
2023 Dwapanyin, G., Chow, D., Tan, T., Dubost, N., Morizet, J., Dunning, K., & Dholakia, K. (2023). Investigation of refractive index dynamics during embryo development using digital holographic microscopy.
DOI
2023 Morizet, J., Chow, D., Wijesinghe, P., Schartner, E., Dwapanyin, G., Dubost, N., . . . Dholakia, K. (2023). UVA hyperspectral light-sheet microscopy for volumetric metabolic imaging: application to pre-implantation embryo development.
DOI
2023 Li, T., Li, S., Chow, D. J. X., Rose, R., Tan, T. C. Y., & Dunning, K. (2023). Impact of repeated cryopreservation on embryo health and implantation potential.
DOI
2023 Chow, D. J. X., Schartner, E. P., Corsetti, S., Upadhya, A., Morizet, J., Gunn-Moore, F. J., . . . Dholakia, K. (2023). Assessing DNA damage during optical imaging of the preimplantation embryo: a comparison between light sheet and confocal microscopy.
DOI
2021 Wijesinghe, P., Corsetti, S., Chow, D. J. X., Sakata, S., Dunning, K., & Dholakia, K. (2021). Experimentally unsupervised deconvolution for light-sheet microscopy with propagation-invariant beams.
DOI

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