First Baby Born in Scotland Using New Ground-breaking IVF Technology

GLASGOW, June 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Baby Eva named after the test that gave her life

The Glasgow Centre for Reproductive Medicine (GCRM), one of the UK's most innovative IVF clinics, announces the birth of the first baby to be born in Scotland using a ground-breaking new approach to IVF, The 'Early Embryo Viability Assessment' (Eeva) test, that improves embryo selection.

Video  and photos available at 10am BST

Scotland is welcoming Baby Eva today, the world's first baby to be born and named by her parents after the new Eeva test. Eva was born on 11 June following Susan Walker-Dempster and David Dempster hardship of trying to build a family together. Susan and David chose to have the Eeva test at the GCRM to increase their chances of IVF success. The new mother, Susan said "we wanted every chance to be successful, so we chose Eeva"

The Eeva test uses unique predictive software in combination with a time-lapse analysis technique to automatically analyse embryo development against scientifically and clinically validated cell-division parameters. The test aids embryologists in selecting the most viable embryos for transfer, potentially increasing the chances of a successful IVF cycle.

Scientist Professor Richard Fleming at GCRM said: "We are very proud to be among the first clinics in the world to announce this news as it demonstrates how successful this new technology can be in enabling couples to have a higher chance of conceiving a baby with IVF. GCRM has always strived to be one of the leading IVF Centres in Europe, offering couples the latest innovations with the best possible outcomes.  The Eeva test is the practical end point of good quality research and is the start of a new chapter in the evolution of IVF."

"We are delighted to hear the news of this successful birth and wish the family the very best. " said Lissa Goldenstein, president and CEO of Auxogyn Inc "The Eeva test has been developed to give IVF clinicians objective information about the embryo and provide insight into its growth potential. With more couples choosing to use Eeva, we are looking forward to many more births like Baby Eva today."

About IVF

Infertility affects one out of every 7 couples in the United Kingdom. The demand for assisted reproduction tools and procedures is growing worldwide . This growth is occurring despite the significant cost per IVF cycle and the low success rate, with approximately one-third of cycles resulting in a live birth. This necessitates the transfer of multiple embryos and/or conducting multiple cycles, leading to greater physical, emotional, practical and financial costs, before determining if pregnancy can be achieved.

About GCRM

GCRM is a member of the 'Academic Reproductive Partnership' (ARP). ARP was formed by the merger of a number of the UK's leading fertility clinics. The partnership is currently the largest single provider of NHS and private IVF services in the UK.

GCRM provides patients with access to the very latest fertility treatment techniques. Patients also benefit from the sharing of best practice and scientific resources by teams across the UK who are at the pinnacle of the assisted reproduction sector. Please visithttp://www.gcrm.co.uk  for more information.

About the Early Embryo Viability Assessment (Eeva) Test

The Eeva test provides IVF clinicians with predictive information about the embryo's development potential to help improve embryo selection. Eeva's proprietary software automatically analyzes embryo development against scientifically and clinically validated cell-division parameters conceived by researchers at Stanford University in the US. With results from the Eeva test, IVF teams now have predictive and objective information to combine morphological assessment to help improve the embryo selection decision. The Eeva Test was validated in a prospective, multi-centre, 54-patient clinical trial with 758 embryos. Embryologists using Eeva were significantly able to improve their ability to identify non-viable embryos relative to traditional methods alone. Additionally, Eeva was able to increase the consistency of embryo assessment across embryologists. Results of this study were presented in July 2012 at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Annual Meeting and published by Conaghan et al in Fertility and Sterility, May 2013.

Eeva is currently CE Marked and available for use in the EU and is pending FDA clearance in the United States. For a full list of clinics offering the Eeva test please visithttp://www.eevaivf.com  or follow us on Twitter @EevaIVF.

UK & International media - Sylvie Berrebi at sylvie@sciad.com +44-(0)-7795-197-271.