New fertility treatment for men and women being developed

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers are developing a new, single-dose treatment which may improve both male and female fertility.

The new treatment stimulates the expression of telomerase, the enzyme that is responsible for maintenance of DNA sequences at the tip of a chromosome (called telomeres) that affect cell lifespan and also contribute to infertility. The novel treatment re-elongates the telomeres and protects cells from damage, thereby increasing cell viability while increasing the likelihood of fertilization, embryo generation and implantation. The treatment is applied as a single dose and dissipates within 24 hours. The compound was tested on mice and showed no toxic effects in animal studies.

The global fertility services market is expected to exceed $21 billion by 2020 according to a report published by Technavio.

The groundbreaking technology was developed by Prof. Esther Priel of the Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics at BGU's Faculty of Health Sciences in collaboration with the Soroka University Medical Center In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Laboratory.

"We've evaluated the efficacy of the new compound in mice and found that a single dose greatly improves fertility in both female and male mice," said Prof. Priel. "One dose speeds up egg maturation and ovulation, increases the number of ovulated eggs, and results in a larger number of viable offspring."

The compound is a member of a family of several telomerase-activating compounds that were found to affect several degenerative diseases, developed in a research collaboration between Prof. Priel and emeritus Hebrew University researchers Prof. Shimon Slavin and Dr. Aviv Gazit.

"The compound also showed a protective effect on ovaries and testes of mice undergoing radiation, suggesting that it might be able to protect and improve the fertility of women and men undergoing radiation therapy for cancer," she says.

"The promising preclinical results and especially the fact that a single dose was sufficient to demonstrate the efficacy of the compound could lead to a highly accessible treatment option," says Dr. Ora Horovitz, senior vice president of business development at BGN Technologies, the technology-transfer company for Ben-Gurion University. "We are now seeking a collaboration for further development of this promising treatment through human clinical trials and commercialization."

Provided by American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev