Fertility technology start-up opens cryostorage facility in Colorado

The US fertility technology company TMRW Life Sciences has opened a new cryostorage facility for frozen sperm, eggs and embryos in Colorado.

The biorepository in Boulder is TMRW’s second location alongside one in New York City in a growing network of offsite cryostorage offerings that use automated platforms for the management and storage of frozen specimens.

More than five million frozen eggs and embryos are now stored at fertility clinics around the US in biorepositories using “antiquated” systems prone to human error, according to TMRW.

The traditional offsite storage model, the company claims, no longer works for modern fertility clinics.

The start-up argues that instead fertility clinics need a digital platform that can reduce paperwork, improve operational efficiencies, provide specimen visibility, and support the “clinic-patient” relationship.

“TMRW’s embryology teams, including those onsite at our biorepositories and onsite in clinics digitising legacy inventories, have 180+ years of combined embryology, andrology and/or lab experience,” explained Lori Batta, chief operating officer at TMRW.

“They work in lock-step with our fertility clinic partners as an extension of their labs managing short- and long-term storage needs with a logistics operation built to meet the dynamic nature of IVF cycles.”

The Boulder facility, Batta said, has around-the-clock monitoring, which aims to provide daily checks with remote monitoring that alerts TMRW’s team before any problems might arise.

“TMRW selected Boulder for its low risk of earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and natural disasters. It is also an easy transportation hub in a state with strong legislative and judicial support for reproductive rights,” she added.

Michael Collins, executive director, scientific affairs and clinical development at TMRW, said: “Shipping eggs, sperm and embryos to offsite storage facilities is a routine and remarkably safe aspect of fertility care.

“The addition of continuous telemetry with TMRW improves specimen safety by proactively identifying and mitigating any environmental excursion that may damage or harm specimens.”

Louis Villaba, chief executive officer at TMRW, added: “With more than 250,000 specimens under management and growth expected to continue doubling every year, TMRW’s expansion into Colorado and beyond is fuelled by high demand from patients and clinics alike.”