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£4m funding to improve conception chances in women over 35
Ovo Labs has developed three methods to rejuvenate human eggs as women get older – securing £4m in seed funding for its launch.
As women age, their ability to produce healthy eggs declines sharply. By the time a woman reaches 40, over 70 per cent of her eggs carry genetic abnormalities. This makes conception significantly harder. Unfortunately, even the gold-standard treatment for infertility, IVF, fails for eight out of 10 women in their late 30s, leaving tens of millions of couples each year unable to start a family.
Successful conception through IVF often relies on patients undergoing as many as half a dozen IVF cycles, each with a low success rate. In contrast, Ovo Labs aims to dramatically increase the number of women who can conceive in a single IVF attempt by addressing poor egg quality – a significant factor in female infertility and IVF success.
Ovo Labs aims to dramatically increase the number of women who can conceive in a single IVF attempt by addressing this bottleneck — poor egg quality.
The company is spearheading the development of new therapeutics that reduce genetic errors in eggs (aneuploidy), thereby increasing the number of viable eggs that can be successfully used for fertility treatment.
The round, co-led by Creator Fund and Local Globe and with participation of Blue Wire Capital, Ahren Innovation Capital and Antonio Pellicer (founder of the world’s largest IVF clinic chain), allows Ovo Labs to further develop its therapeutics and put them in pole position to advance towards clinical trials.
Professor Melina Schuh, Ovo Labs co-founder and scientific advisor, said: “Ovo Labs’ mission is to make the dream of parenthood a reality for millions of couples who struggle to conceive. By helping to increase the number of viable eggs, we aim to extend the reproductive window, empowering more couples to have children at a time that feels right to them.
“Ovo Labs’ technology also offers a potential solution for declining birth rates, which is a trend observed in many countries worldwide.”
Ovo Lab’s work in pioneering therapeutics has been shown to significantly cut genetic errors in eggs (aneuploidy), thereby increasing the number of viable eggs that can be successfully used for fertility treatment. Once approved by regulatory authorities, this treatment can be seamlessly integrated into the standard IVF workflow, at no extra burden to the patient while offering hope for the transformation of infertility treatment.
The firm’s technology builds on the pioneering research of Professor Melina Schuh, a world-renowned fertility expert at the Max Planck Institute. She is joined by co-founder Dr. Agata Zielinska, a highly accomplished fertility scientist. Completing their team is Dr. Oleksandr Yagensky, a biologist-turned-strategy consultant and one of the fastest-promoted scientific hires in the history of Bain & Company in Germany.
Using cutting-edge microscopes and molecular tools, Melina and Agata first pioneered meticulous studies on young and older eggs at Bourn Hall Clinic, the world’s first IVF centre, whose founding team’s work was recently spotlighted in the Netflix movie Joy.
Ovo Labs has now proven that they can improve the quality of eggs in old mice and have secured an attractive IP package and shown they can successfully treat isolated human eggs. As they enter the next stage, their product development will be carried out at the state-of-the-art facility at the Life Science Factory in Munich.
Jamie Macfarlane from Creator Fund, said: “This company has been twenty years in the making. It is the product of decades of pioneering scientific work to understand the origin of human life and why age impacts our ability to reproduce. It is inspiring to see European scientists of this calibre launch a company solving such a fundamental question facing humanity.
“We believe that the science at the heart of this business has the potential to change whether, when and how couples have children.”
Emma Phillips, investment partner at Local Globe, who co-led the investment, said: “Women and couples deserve better odds of IVF success, which Ovo Labs delivers. LocalGlobe is thrilled to support this team of world leading scientists tackling the core challenges of fertility with groundbreaking solutions.”
We are excited to reveal the winners of the third annual Femtech World Awards.
The winners were announced at a virtual event this afternoon attended by shortlisted companies, along with sponsors and judges.
The event welcomed guests from the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
Thank you to all 174 entries, as well as the sponsors for making the event possible.
See you in 2027!
Femtech World Awards 2026 Winners
Winner:
Shortlisted:
IVI RMA x Juno Genetics
Natural Cycles
Winner:
Highly commended:
U-Ploid
Shortlisted:
Hello Inside
Winner:
WISE HF, led by Prof. Mary Ryder
Highly commended:
Cardiac College for Women
Shortlisted:
Hyvelle Ferguson-Davis
CognitiveCare
Winner:
Highly commended:
Youterus
Shortlisted:
ŌURA
Winner:
Shortlisted:
LeanShield by ParrotPal Group
Perigen
Winner:
Shortlisted:
Body Moody
Looop
Winner:
Shortlisted:
Owning Your Menopause
Womeno
Winner:
Shortlisted:
The Blue Box
Celbrea
Winner:
Shortlisted:
HealCycle
Mor
Winner:
Shortlisted:
HRC Fertility
Mira
Pregnant women’s expectations about postpartum sleep may predict sleep quality after birth, outweighing prior sleep and psychiatric history, a study suggests.
The findings suggest attitudes and beliefs about sleep during pregnancy could be a modifiable risk factor for postpartum sleep concerns.
They also indicate that, among women expecting the poorest sleep, higher postpartum anxiety may further worsen sleep quality.
Sammy Dhaliwal, lead author is clinical health psychologist and research fellow in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dhaliwal said: “Most pregnant women in our sample anticipated poor postpartum sleep before it occurred, and it was striking that those expectations predicted worse sleep outcomes even after accounting for factors such as prior sleep disorders, psychiatric history, and number of previous births.
“This suggests that attitudes and beliefs about sleep during pregnancy may represent a modifiable target for early intervention before postpartum sleep problems emerge.”
Sleep disturbance affects an estimated 60 to 80 per cent of postpartum women and is linked to a higher risk of depression and anxiety.
Researchers said it is often regarded as an expected part of life after childbirth rather than a health issue that may be addressed earlier.
The study enrolled 432 pregnant women at about 24 weeks of gestation, meaning around 24 weeks into pregnancy.
Participants completed measures of their expectations about postpartum sleep, current sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and mood using validated depression and anxiety scales.
Assessments were repeated at six, 12 and 24 weeks postpartum.
A subset of 49 women also wore wrist actigraphy devices at six to eight weeks postpartum.
Actigraphy uses a wearable device, similar to a watch, to estimate sleep and wake patterns based on movement.
The results showed that 70 per cent of pregnant women, or 301 of 432 participants, expected poor sleep in the postpartum period.
Researchers found that predicted sleep disruption during pregnancy was a significant predictor of postpartum sleep concerns.
Among first-time pregnant women without prior health concerns, those who expected greater sleep disturbance had significantly more disrupted sleep after birth, measured by both actigraphy and self-report.
Among women who expected the worst sleep quality, higher postpartum anxiety significantly worsened both measured sleep and self-reported sleep, independent of anxiety levels during pregnancy.
Dhaliwal said the findings point to two possible areas for intervention: addressing sleep-related beliefs during pregnancy and treating postpartum anxiety.
Dhaliwal said: “Postpartum sleep disruption is often treated only after problems develop, but our findings suggest there may be an opportunity to intervene earlier during pregnancy.
“Addressing sleep-related beliefs and postpartum anxiety during prenatal and postpartum care may help improve sleep and emotional well-being in new mothers.”
A weight loss jab may improve fertility outcomes in women with PMOS, early findings from an ongoing clinical trial suggest.
The proof-of-concept analysis found that injectable semaglutide may offer reproductive benefits while also addressing obesity and metabolic dysfunction.
It is the first report to examine how injectable semaglutide may improve reproductive outcomes in women with PMOS while also addressing obesity and metabolic dysfunction.
The work forms part of the ongoing RESTORE clinical trial.
Melanie Cree, professor at CU Anschutz and first author of the report, said: “Women with PMOS frequently face a frustrating choice between treatments that target reproductive symptoms and those that address metabolic health.
“Our early findings suggest injectable semaglutide may have the potential to improve both, offering a more comprehensive approach to care.
“This medication is incredibly promising when someone responds with 10 per cent weight loss.”
The trial is examining whether semaglutide can restore ovulation and improve reproductive health in adolescents and adults with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, known as PMOS.
PMOS, formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS, is a hormone and metabolic condition linked to irregular periods, raised testosterone levels, infertility risk, obesity and increased cardiometabolic disease.
Cardiometabolic disease refers to conditions linked to the heart and metabolism, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Existing treatments, including metformin and hormonal contraceptives, often do not fully address reproductive and metabolic complications at the same time.
The analysis focused on participants aged 12 to 35 who lost at least 10 per cent of their body weight during treatment.
Researchers said reproductive improvements appeared earlier than expected, prompting them to report preliminary findings while the wider study continues.
Cree is also a paediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Endocrinologists are doctors who specialise in hormones and hormone-related conditions.
Cree said: “What makes this work particularly important is that it focuses specifically on women with PMOS receiving injectable semaglutide.
“Although GLP-1 medications have transformed obesity treatment, there remains a significant need for rigorous data examining how these therapies affect fertility and reproductive function in this population.”
The RESTORE study is evaluating semaglutide treatment in girls and women with PMOS and obesity.
Its broader aim is to determine whether weight loss and metabolic improvements can restore ovulation and improve reproductive outcomes.
Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary, a key part of the menstrual cycle and fertility.
The authors said the findings are from an early proof-of-concept analysis and that larger, longer-term studies will be needed to confirm whether the reproductive benefits last.
The findings suggest injectable semaglutide may become a treatment option for women with PMOS seeking improvements in both metabolic and reproductive health, if future studies confirm the results.
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