New partnership to improve IVF testing

The Australian biotech company GenEmbryomics has entered a partnership with a leading provider of preimplantation genetic testing in a bid to “transform” IVF.

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a technique that involves testing cells from embryos created outside the body by IVF for a genetic disorder.

Through their partnership, GenEmbryomics and Progenesis aim to help more people benefit from PGD with whole genome sequencing to fertility patients.

Progenesis says it will “leverage” its laboratory and facilities, while GenEmbryomics will serve as the preferred provider of its Panacea-GenomeScreen™ PGT-WGS test.

The Panacea-GenomeScreen™ PGT-WGS test allows IVF patients to screen embryos for more than 2500 genetic disorders that are life-threatening or cause severe disabilities.

The test, which can be used for standard IVF embryos as well as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) embryos, is anticipated to reduce IVF costs for many patients compared to other tests, through higher testing accuracy increasing greater IVF success rates.

“Partnering with GenEmbryomics marks a pivotal step in our unwavering commitment to providing the premier IVF testing service,” said Nabil Arrach, founder and CEO of Progenesis.

“Providing the best testing technologies is crucial for delivering the greatest success rate to fertility patients. Together, we will work tirelessly to educate providers and patients on the immense value of combining PGT-A screening with GenEmbryomics’ advanced PGT-WGS.”

Nick Murphy, managing director of GenEmbryomics, said: “We are ecstatic to partner with Progenesis, a leader in IVF whose track-record in making IVF testing available to everyone speaks for itself.

“By combining our expertise and resources, we are bringing the most advanced IVF genomics technology ever developed to patients.

“Through this partnership, we aim to accelerate the adoption of this groundbreaking innovation, to help more patients achieve their dream of holding a healthy baby in their arms.”

Santiago Munne, the developer of the world’s first PGT-A test, current scientific director of Progenesis and president of Homu Health Ventures – an investor in GenEmbryomics, added: “We now have the ultimate test in embryo diagnosis, a test that can give information to future parents not only on which embryo is free of genetic disease but that can be used for their newborn baby’s lifetime health management”.

The partnership is expected to commence immediately and will continue for an initial period of 12 months, with expected renewal based on the mutual agreement of both parties.