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Gameto has announced the world’s first live human birth using Fertilo, an ovarian support cell (OSC) technology that matures eggs outside the body. The delivery was conducted at Santa Isabel Clinic, in Lima, Peru. This could represent a huge step forward in fertility management.
Traditional methods rely on the mother undergoing 10–14 days of high-dose hormonal stimulation, via injections, to mature eggs. Instead, Fertilo uses engineered, young ovarian support cells to recreate the natural egg maturation process in a laboratory setting. This process replaces 80% of hormone injections required with traditional IVF, and reduces the duration of treatment cycles to just three days.
“We are delighted to celebrate the world’s first live birth conceived using Fertilo,” said Dina Radenkovic, MD, CEO and co-founder of Gameto. “By overcoming the major challenges of conventional IVF, such as long treatment cycles, significant side effects, and the emotional and physical strain, Fertilo provides a potentially faster, safer, and more accessible solution for families. This milestone marks a turning point in reproductive health and highlights the first application of iPSC technology in IVF and the immense potential of our technology.”
The company says this is also, “the first demonstration of an end-to-end process by which a therapy developed from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has the potential to improve IVF outcomes and advance women’s health.”
“This breakthrough represents a historic milestone in reproductive medicine,” said Luis Guzmán, PhD, lead at Pranor Labs & Science, who oversaw the Fertilo-enabled IVF cycle that enabled the first live birth. “The ability to mature eggs outside the body with minimal hormonal intervention significantly reduces risks such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and alleviates the side effects caused by high hormone doses.”
The mother of the breakthrough baby, said “The Fertilo method was the preferred option compared to traditional approaches. With fewer injections and a gentler, less invasive egg retrieval process, it gave me hope and reassurance during a deeply personal journey. Fertilo’s innovative approach made the physical experience easier and also lightened the emotional burden of many hormone injections. I am profoundly grateful to the Pranor Clinic and the Gameto team for their care and dedication in making my dream of having a family a reality.”
By maturing eggs outside the body and minimizing hormonal stimulation, Gameto says it is improving outcomes and experiences for women using assisted reproduction technology (ART). The streamlined process yields high-quality, mature eggs with similar efficacy to conventional IVF but in a fraction of the time and with potentially fewer complications.
With Fertilo, Gameto, “aims to make IVF and egg freezing shorter, safer, and more accessible through reduced hormonal injections by maturing eggs outside of the body.” Fertilo has received different regulatory classifications in foreign jurisdictions, and after consultation with national regulators, has been cleared for commercialization in Australia and in large markets in Latin America.
News & FeaturesIn vitro fertilizationInduced pluripotent stem cellsWomen's healthGameto