Newswise — Columbia University Science & Technology Ventures has announced that it has signed an exclusive license agreement with Vital View Limited to bring to market a medical device technology that aims to improve the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.
Vital View is a portfolio company of the Misgav Venture Accelerator, located in Misgav, Israel. The newly formed company has already received financing for development of prototypes and early clinical evaluation, expected to begin within the next year. The Vital View device will permit direct visualization of the anatomy during the embryo transfer step of an IVF procedure.
IVF is a medical procedure performed to assist reproduction among couples who experience difficulties conceiving a baby via natural means. Sperm and egg are combined in a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs and an embryo is formed. The embryo is then delivered, via a catheter, from the dish to the womb to develop naturally. Navigation of the catheter through the cervical canal and into the uterine cavity may be technically difficult and often poses a significant challenge due to internal anatomical contours, which can vary widely from patient to patient. The current technique for performing embryo transfer relies primarily on the physician's sense of feel, as tools for direct visualization are lacking. Difficult or traumatic embryo transfers have been associated with lower IVF pregnancy rates and can lead to complications that decrease the success of subsequent attempts.
"Israel is a world leader in the IVF field so, as the leading Israeli incubator focused on early stage medical device investments, this is a very exciting and relevant collaboration," said Lior Yankelson, M.D., Ph.D, Vice President for Business Development at the Misgav Venture Accelerator. "On average, more than two thirds of IVF procedures do not result in a pregnancy. We are very confident this device will be able to address this challenge."
The licensed technology was invented by Gary Nakhuda, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist and faculty member in the Department of Obestetrics & Gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center. Nakhuda comments on his motivation for coming up with the idea, "IVF is a field that has advanced significantly since it was first performed more than thirty years ago, but the one aspect that has seen little change is the embryo transfer procedure. Although this is the ultimate and crucial step, it is still typically performed in a relatively unsophisticated fashion, using a "blind" technique. A device that allows direct visualization using microfiberoptic technology will improve the efficacy of the procedure and help to overcome a significant barrier to achieving a successful pregnancy."
In 2004, there were more than 500,000 IVF procedures performed worldwide, and this number is expected to exceed 1.3 million procedures by 2012. The average cost per IVF cycle in the U.S. is between $10,000 and $15,000, and analysts have estimated a cost per delivery of $35,000 per delivery in younger women, and over $132,000 for women over 40.
"Each IVF cycle places a significant physical, psychological, and economic burden on patients and their families," said Donna See, STV's Director of Strategic Initiatives and licensing officer who negotiated the deal. "We look forward to working closely with Vital View and the Misgav teams to reduce this burden through the development of this exciting device concept."
About Columbia University Science & Technology VenturesA leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia University's technology transfer office, Science & Technology Ventures (STV), serves as a bridge between Columbia's researchers and the business community. STV's core objective is to facilitate the transfer of inventions from academic research to outside organizations for the benefit of society on a local, national and global basis. As such, STV's primary mission is to identify, evaluate, protect, and license or form companies based on Columbia's intellectual property. STV at Columbia University is considered one of the leading technology transfer offices in the world, with more than 300 invention disclosures from faculty, 70 license deals and 12 new start-ups each year. For more information on STV, please visit www.stv.columbia.edu.
About Misgav Venture AcceleratorThe Misgav Venture Accelerator (http://www.misgav-venture.com) was founded in 1992. It is an early-stage investor focusing on the life sciences - medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. The Misgav Venture Accelerator is a subsidiary of The Trendlines Group, which establishes and supports early stage companies in Israel through its two incubators " Misgav and Mofet Innovation Accelerator " and through its business development firm, Trendlines International.
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