A study by the Basque company Embryomics has been awarded the first prize from iCIRA (Innovation, Quality and Image in Assisted Reproduction) in the category for “Innovation in the Treatment of Assisted Reproduction". The prize was given for the work entitled “Metabolomic profile in human pre-embryos as a potential non-invasive marker of aneuploids in human pre-implantational diagnosis”, and the work was led by Dr. Francisco Domínguez, scientific director of Embryomics.

The work involved the participation of Dr. Inma Sánchez, a gynaecologist from IVI Barcelona and collaborator at Embryomics, and of Dr. Carlos Simón, Director of the cell lines bank at the Prince Felipe Centre for Research (CIPF), Director of the IVI Foundation and Managing Director of Embryomics.

The prize-giving ceremony of the second edition of the iCIRA prizes took place on 21 November in Madrid. Prizes were given by Merck Serono, the biotechnology division of the company Merck, backed by the Spanish Association for Fertility (SEF) and the Association for the Study of Reproductive Biology (ASEBIR). The jury was made up of the president of the Spanish Association for Fertility, Dr. Bonaventura Coroleu, and Dr. Mark Grossmann i Camps, President of the Association for the Study of Reproductive Biology.

This award recognises the pioneering work of Embryomics in the introduction of new analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in the field of reproductive medicine, in particular in the analysis and diagnosis of chromosome abnormalities in human pre-embryos.

The company has invented a new, non-invasive system which is a great improvement on the present pre-implantational (invasive) diagnosis based on a biopsy of the blastomere. As a result of Embryomics’ diagnosis system, the treatment can be extended to any couple who wish to receive it, and not only those who meet certain requirements (age, repeated miscarriage, failure of implantation, etc.) as is the case with current treatments.

Moreover, the selection of embryos with normal chromosomes without the use of any type of intrusion will allow a substantial increase in the numbers of implantations and pregnancies in patients receiving treatment.

Embryomics, which has its headquarters in the Technology Park of Bizkaia, is a biotechnology company founded in 2009 with participation from IVI, OWL Genomics and the venture-capital company Cross Road Biotech. Its objective is the development of innovative techniques (based on metabolomics) for viability study of pre-embryos in a non-invasive way in assisted reproduction treatments.