BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OvaScience™, a fertility company applying innovative science to improve the quality of eggs and increase the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF), today announced that scientific findings supporting its novel approach will be highlighted at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) 67th Annual Meeting. ASRM 2011 will be held Oct. 15-19, 2011 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Fertility decreases with age. Mitochondria are the primary source of cellular energy from within eggs, and this energy is a key determinant of egg quality. It has been demonstrated that the number and function of mitochondria decrease with age. With OvaScience’s innovative scientific approach, a woman’s eggs may be rejuvenated by injecting fresh mitochondria isolated from her own egg stem cells into her egg during IVF. This has the potential to improve egg quality and thereby increase the success of IVF. With higher quality eggs, there is also the potential to transfer fewer embryos, which can result in a lower incidence of conceiving multiples (twins or triplets) and resulting complications. The company’s technology is designed to enhance the current standard of care in IVF and can be measured by well-accepted endpoints.
The company’s proprietary technology is exclusively licensed from Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
“OvaScience’s patented technology enhances the quality of a woman’s eggs in order to improve the success of IVF,” said Michelle Dipp, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of OvaScience. “We look forward to offering women new options to address infertility and to launching our pivotal clinical study next year at leading IVF centers.”
On Oct. 19, key scientific findings in support of OvaScience’s novel approach to improving egg quality will be highlighted by fertility expert Jonathan Tilly, Ph.D., OvaScience co-founder and scientific advisory board co-chairman, in a symposium titled “Stem Cells: Derivation, Induction and Application in Reproductive Sciences” from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. In his presentation, Dr. Tilly will give a broad overview of oogonial (egg) stem cells (OSCs), as well as updates on human OSCs and their potential uses. The data to be presented build upon and further validate previous research conducted by Dr. Tilly and colleagues and published in the journal Nature in 2004.
“IVF is an area with limited innovative advances since its introduction in the late 1970s,” said Dr. Tilly, director, Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at MGH; chief, Research for MGH Vincent Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School. “We are hopeful that our research will result in better infertility treatment options for women.”
About Infertility
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), infertility affects more than 7.3 million women, or one in eight couples of childbearing age, in the United States alone. Sixty percent of IVF cycles are performed in women more than 35 years of age. In women more than 40 years of age, IVF has less than a 15 percent success rate. IVF can cause significant physical, emotional and financial challenges.
About OvaScience
OvaScience is developing technology to improve fertility. The company is applying innovative science to improve the quality of eggs (oocytes) and increase the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF). OvaScience’s proprietary technology, exclusively licensed from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, enables the use of a women’s own cellular energy to improve egg quality. OvaScience was co-founded by Richard Aldrich, Michelle Dipp, M.D., Ph.D., and Christoph Westphal M.D., Ph.D., of Longwood Founders Fund, along with fertility expert and Harvard Medical School Professor Jonathan Tilly, Ph.D. of Massachusetts General Hospital, and aging expert and Harvard Medical School Professor David Sinclair, Ph.D. The company is backed by leading life science investors Longwood Founders Fund and Bessemer Venture Partners. The company has assembled a world-class team of leading reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists, scientists and advisers to bring this technology to patients. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.ovascience.com.