DARMSTADT, Germany,
March 10, 2017 /CNW/ -
- Merck integrates innovative Eeva® Test with Geri™
incubation platform, bringing individualized incubation and outcome
prediction together
- Geri™ humidity technology aims to further advance incubation
to precisely monitor and manage the humidity level in the
incubator
Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced
the release of two advanced Fertility Technologies products for
improved efficiency in the assisted reproductive treatment (ART)
lab, Eeva® Test 3.0 and Geri™ humidified incubation.
These first-in-class technologies will provide embryologists with
in-depth information and control over the environment in which the
embryo grows to support healthy embryo development and
assessment.
"We believe Merck fertility technologies can accelerate clinics
toward a new standard for ART success," said Rehan Verjee, Chief Marketing and Strategy
Officer of biopharma business at Merck. "Since 2014 we've launched
28 products in five product groups, providing new, state-of-the-art
solutions that advance fertility care."
The Eeva® Test 3.0 software supports embryo
assessment within the ART lab, using the established Xtend
Algorithm. ART labs can now use this algorithm with the Genea
Biomedx-developed Geri™+ incubator, integrating
bright-and-dark-field imaging together with Merck's proprietary
software suite, Geri™ Connect, Geri™ Assess. The combination of the
Eeva® Test 3.0 with the Geri™ incubator enables, for the
first time, the application of the clinically proven assessment
algorithm of the Eeva® Test to support outcome
prediction with individualized incubation.
Geri™, ideated and created by Australian fertility technologies
company Genea Biomedx, has a broad range of additional modular
features available that can be selected by clinics to optimize
culture conditions based on their needs. Continually evolving, this
unique offering now includes a specially designed humidifier in
addition to established features like Geri™ Connect, Geri™ Assess
or Geri™+. The specially designed humidifier allows ART specialists
to precisely monitor and manage the humidity level in the
incubator. Geri™ is able to both monitor progress of embryo
development through a real-time camera and provide humidified
incubation in individual chambers, thus providing embryologists
with more control to nurture embryo incubation and development.
Merck's ability to launch numerous technologies in the last two
years is a result of the company's strategy to combine
market-leading drug treatments for patients with breakthrough
technologies tailored to the specific needs of the ART lab.
Combining the Eeva® Test and the Geri™ platform
demonstrates Merck's commitment to facilitating the connectivity
between products, such as the integration of these technologies, to
leverage the data generated, thus creating more informed decision
making within the ART lab.
About Geri[TM]
Geri™ is a benchtop incubator with
individually controlled incubation chambers per patient to minimize
disruptive events to the early-stage embryo. It also incorporates a
camera to real time monitor the developing embryos. Integrating
bright- and dark-field imaging, the Geri[TM]+ incubator
allows for combination with the Eeva® Test software. The
Geri™ Connect software allows the monitoring of embryos in real
time through remote access to patient and embryo data connected on
the same network, while the Geri™ Assess software is a user-defined
scoring software used to assess and grade embryos on their
viability. As additional modular feature the portfolio includes a
specially designed humidifier, which allows ART specialists to
precisely monitor and manage the humidity level in the
incubator.
Geri™ was developed by Genea Biomedx, a company that creates and
manufactures practical, accessible and precise fertility
technologies that help standardize and automate fertility
treatment.
About the Eeva® Test
The non-invasive Early Embryo Viability Assessment
(Eeva®) Test when used adjunctively with traditional
morphology may improve IVF outcomes by providing IVF clinicians and
patients with objective information on embryo viability. The
Eeva® Test utilizes proprietary software that
automatically analyzes embryo development against scientifically
and clinically validated parameters. Its key features include a
multi-dimensional model for assessing and predicting the
development of embryos based on five key parameters including egg
age, cell stage durations of P2 and P3, post P3 analysis, and cell
count. With the Eeva® Test's quantitative data on
each embryo's potential development, IVF clinicians can improve the
treatment path for their patients undergoing IVF procedures.
Progyny Inc. granted Merck global marketing and
commercialization rights for the Progyny Eeva[®
]Test software offering, aiming to provide customers
worldwide with innovative fertility technology solution. This
new collaboration builds on the successful relationship between
both leaders in fertility technologies, first established in
2010.
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About Merck
Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare,
life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees
work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life
- from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple
sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and
production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions.
In 2016, Merck generated sales of € 15.0 billion in 66
countries.
Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and
chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of
the publicly listed corporate group. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck
name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD
Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.
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(Photo:
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SOURCE Merck