MENLO PARK, Calif. – December 4, 2012 – Auxogyn, Inc., a company focused on revolutionizing the field of reproductive health, today announced that research involving the use of the company’s flagship product, the Early Embryo Viability Assessment (Eeva) Test, was recognized by the Fertility Society of Australia at its 2012 Scientific Meeting with the Ferring “Best Scientific Paper Award.” The paper, authored by Joseph Conaghan, Ph.D., a fertility specialist and lab director at the Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco determined that subtle and critical differences in specific cell division timings are uniquely detected by the Eeva™ Test in real-time clinical settings, which may assist embryologists in selecting embryos with higher potential for implantation than morphology alone. Eeva uses intelligent computer vision software to measure key parameters from video images and predicts at the cleavage stage which embryos will likely grow to the blastocyst stage.
“Dr. Conaghan joins an esteemed group of infertility specialists and scientists who have been selected by the Fertility Society of Australia for their dedication to improving the field of infertility and their commitment to helping individuals have families,” said Lissa Goldenstein, president and chief executive officer of Auxogyn. “We would like to congratulate him on the selection of his submission as the best scientific paper. This paper provides further scientific validation for Eeva, the first and only noninvasive test that delivers consistent, objective, and actionable information to help identify viable embryos and determine which ones offer the greatest potential for transfer.”
Dr. Conaghan’s abstract, titled “Embryos with Good Morphology but Abnormal Cell Divisions Have Significantly Lower Implantation Potential,” analyzed time-lapse videos of “good morphology” transferred embryos, imaged using Eeva, to assess how early cell division correlates with implantation. Implantation was confirmed by ultrasound at gestational weeks 10 to 12, and 43 patients with 90 embryos transferred were analyzed. Results showed that 44 transferred embryos appeared to be of “good morphology.” Based on data provided by Eeva, these embryos were further separated into groups with “normal” or “abnormal” cell division timings. The implantation rate for normal cell division embryos was 53 percent, but only 4 percent for embryos with abnormal cell division timings. This led Dr. Conaghan and his colleagues to conclude that morphological selection of “good” embryos may overlook important early differences among embryos, and that critical and subtle differences in specific cell division timings are uniquely detected by Eeva in real-time clinical settings.
The Ferring “Best Scientific Paper Award” is one of only two awards presented at the Fertility Society of Australia conference. As the 2012 winner of this award, Dr. Conaghan has been invited to give a 30-minute presentation at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).
About IVF
Infertility affects one out of every six couples. The demand for assisted reproduction tools and procedures is growing by approximately 10–15 percent per year worldwide due to higher infertility rates caused by an increasing maternal age as more women are starting families later in life. The demand is growing despite the significant cost per cycle and the low success rate with approximately one-third of cycles resulting in a live birth. This often leads to the transfer of multiple embryos and/or conducting multiple cycles, leading to greater physical, emotional, practical and financial costs, before determining if pregnancy can be achieved.
About the Eeva™ Test
Auxogyn’s non-invasive Eeva Test is designed to improve IVF outcomes by providing clinicians and patients with objective information that will enable them to more confidently select embryo(s) for transfer. Eeva’s proprietary software automatically analyzes embryo development against scientifically and clinically validated cell-division parameters, not only providing novel quantitative information, but also ensuring consistent measurements to assess embryo development versus the manual methods used today in clinical practice. With Eeva’s quantitative data for each embryo’s potential development, IVF clinics may be able to optimize the treatment path for their patients undergoing IVF procedures.
In July 2012, Auxogyn received CE mark approval for the Eeva Test, which is currently available for use in the European Union. It is not yet cleared in the United States, where it is limited to investigational use only. For more information regarding Eeva, please visit www.eevaivf.com.
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 and quantitative information regarding embryo viability that reproductive endocrinologists and infertility 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 regarding Auxogyn, please visit www.auxogyn.com.
Contact:
Nicole Foderaro
WCG
(415) 946-1058
[email protected]