Auxogyn, Inc. Wins Prestigious Grant for Fertility Innovation

Get the latest biotech news where you want it. Sign up for the free GenePool newsletter today!

London, UK – July 9, 2013 – Auxogyn, Inc., a privately held company that is revolutionizing the field of reproductive medicine by translating scientific discoveries in early embryo development into effective clinical tools, has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious Merck Serono Grant for Fertility Innovation (GFI) award. The award was announced at the 29th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Established in 2009, the GFI program is a global award program dedicated to transforming innovative fertility research projects into concrete health solutions to improve the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies. This year, over 125 scientific grant applications from 25 countries were submitted for blind review from the GFI scientific committee. As one of a select group of 2013 GFI Grant winners, Auxogyn will broaden its current aneuploidy research programs examining whether embryo viability markers from time-lapse enabled analysis correlate with aneuploidy (an abnormal number of chromosomes), implantation, and live birth. The goal of Auxogyn’s program is to leverage its clinically validated Early Embryo Viability Assessment (Eeva™) Test to identify relevant viability markers and develop non-invasive, automated methods for aneuploidy screening.

“We are honored to be selected as a recipient of this prestigious award and pleased to collaborate with Dr. Marcos Meseguer at the IVI Clinics in Spain in our expanding research,” said Lissa Goldenstein, President and CEO of Auxogyn. Auxogyn’s early involvement with aneuploidy research included participation in a study conducted by Renee A. Reijo Pera, Ph.D. and colleagues at Stanford University, who used the technology behind the Eeva Test to identify a link between fragmentation (a common occurrence in the early stages of human development) and the number of chromosomes in embryos. By coupling an analysis of fragmentation with quantitative assessment of the timing of major steps of embryonic development, the researchers were able to significantly increase the chances of selecting an embryo with the correct number of chromosomes. Auxogyn has also launched a prospective clinical study with Dr. Richard Scott at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey (RMANJ) to study embryo development and aneuploidy using two cutting-edge technologies – the Eeva Test and Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (CCS).

Aneuploidy is a significant clinical problem for IVF, because research has linked it with poorer embryo development and higher rates of miscarriage. Auxogyn’s aneuploidy research programs could lead to the development and clinical validation of non-invasive tools for the selection of embryos with a high likelihood for having the correct number of chromosomes. Such tools may help improve outcomes for patients seeking IVF treatment.

About Auxogyn

Auxogyn is revolutionizing the field of reproductive medicine by translating scientific discoveries in early embryo development into clinical tools. The Company’s flagship product, the Eeva™ Test, delivers consistent, objective information regarding embryo viability that IVF clinicians and patients can use to make important treatment decisions. Auxogyn is privately held and funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Merck Serono Ventures, SR One and TPG Biotech. For more information visit www.auxogyn.com and follow us on Twitter @Auxogyn.

About the Early Embryo Viability Assessment (Eeva™) Test

The Eeva Test provides IVF clinicians with predictive information about the embryo’s development potential to help improve embryo selection. Eeva’s proprietary software automatically analyzes embryo development against scientifically and clinically validated cell-division parameters conceived by researchers at Stanford University in the US. With results from the Eeva Test, IVF teams now have predictive and objective information to combine morphological assessment to help improve the embryo selection decision. The Eeva Test was validated in a prospective, multi-centre, 54-patient clinical trial with 755 embryos. Embryologists using Eeva results were significantly able to improve their ability to identify non-viable embryos relative to traditional methods alone. Additionally, Eeva was able to increase the consistency of embryo assessment across embryologists. Results of this study were initially presented in July 2012 at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Annual Meeting and published by Conaghan et al in Fertility and Sterility, May 2013.

Eeva is currently CE Marked and available for use in the EU and is pending FDA clearance in the United States. For a full list of clinics in the EU offering the Eeva Test please visit www.eevaivf.com or follow us on Twitter @EevaIVF.

Media contact:

Lois Christie

lois.christie@fticonsulting.com

+44 203 077 0481

+44 770 333 0905 (mobile)

Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.

Back to news