Primary Ovarian Insufficiency

TUESDAY, Oct. 1, 2024 -- Women diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) have an increased prevalence of severe autoimmune diseases, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in Human Reproduction . Susanna M. Savukoski, M.D., from Oulu University Hospital in Finland, and colleagues conducted a population-based registry study of 3,972 women diagnosed with spontaneous POI between 1988 and 2017 and 15,708 female population controls to examine the association with severe autoimmune diseases before and after POI diagnosis. The researchers found that the prevalence of having at least one severe autoimmune disease was 5.6 percent in women with POI. Compared with controls, women with POI had an increased prevalence of several specific autoimmune diseases prior to the index date including polyglandular autoimmune diseases, Addison disease, vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and hyperthyroidism. No difference was seen in the prevalence of type 1 diabetes or ankylosing spondylitis. During the first three years after POI diagnosis, the standardized incidence ratio for being diagnosed for the first time with a severe autoimmune disease was 2.8, which decreased to 1.3 after 12 years. "The study results strengthen the hypothesis that autoimmune mechanisms play an important role in the pathogenesis of POI," the authors write. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

TUESDAY, Sept. 3, 2024 -- Cases of menopause occurring before the age of 40 can be a major cause of distress and discomfort for women, but researchers now believe they've homed in on the condition's genetic cause. A team at deCODE genetics sought to understand the origins of what's known as primary ovarian insufficiency, which triggers menopause an average of nine years before it typically occurs in women. The deCODE team worked with colleagues in Iceland, Denmark, the UK and Norway to analyze the collected DNA of 174,000 women living in those countries. They focused especially on a gene called CCDC201. In 2022, CCDC201 was identified as a protein-producing gene and was later found to be "highly expressed in egg cells," according to a deCODE news release. Just how CCDC201 might go awry to trigger menopause early hasn't been known, however. The new research revealed the specific change in a snippet of CCDC201 gene coding that seems to effectively terminate its function. However, a woman needed to carry two copies of this defective variant for primary ovarian insufficiency to occur, the researchers noted. That seems to happen in about 1 in every 10,000 women of Northern European descent, the deCODE group found. This "leads to primary ovarian insufficiency, defined as age at menopause before the age of 40, in nearly half of carriers," according to the deCODE news release. The discovery might be important for women who are considering having children. Testing for this newly discovered genetic link could help women make better decisions around their odds for early menopause and the appropriate timing of childbearing, the researchers said. The findings were published Aug. 27 in the journal Nature Genetics . Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gameto, a biotechnology company using cell engineering to develop therapeutics for diseases of the female reproductive system, today announced that it has raised an additional $17 million in funding from global software investor Insight Partners, Future Ventures, Arcadia Investment Partners, Bold Capital Partners, Plum Alley, Myelin VC, TA Ventures, Gaingels, Korify Capital, and other existing investors. The new financing brings the total capital raised since inception to $40M. Gameto's underlying cell engineering platform was developed in stealth under a scientific research agreement with George Church's lab at Harvard Medical School. In January, Gameto announced plans for three sequenced programs. The first program, Fertilo, is a biologic for IVF and egg freezing, aiming to make the process shorter, safer, and more effective. The following programs include Deovo, an organoid of the female reproductive system, and Ameno, a cell-based therapeutic to ameliorate the health consequences of primary ovarian insufficiency and menopause. Fertilo is a biologic for egg maturation derived from engineered ovarian supporting cells to facilitate a lower hormonal burden during IVF and egg freezing. This will allow women to obtain eggs in a shorter, more natural process without the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Currently, egg maturation drugs are hormone-based and the process is long, and expensive, with potential side effects. Gameto aims to bring to market a new mechanism of action to both reduce the number of hormonal injections and improve the efficacy of the process. Fertilo has entered preclinical development in partnership with leading clinics in the US and in Spain, the largest ART [Assisted Reproductive Technology] market in Europe. Partner clinics include Extend Fertility, RMA, Pozitivf, Ovation Fertility, Clinica Tambre, and Hospital Ruber Internacional. Inception Fertility™ (Inception), the largest provider of comprehensive fertility services in North America, also recently launched a study with Gameto to identify new techniques to improve in-vitro maturation. Through its ancillary brands, Inception serves as a mechanism to draw participants from its ecosystem of companies to take part in this and other groundbreaking studies that will elevate sciences and advancements in ART. Inception's network of fertility clinics, The Prelude Network® (Prelude), is the largest network to partner with Gameto, as it has over 85 locations across North America. Prelude was also founded by Gameto co-founder and chairman Martin Varsavsky. "Gameto is developing novel treatments across fertility and women's health, leveraging its proprietary technology to create a robust pipeline of compelling products," said Dylan Morris, Managing Director at Insight Partners. "We are excited to partner with the Gameto team as they translate their transformational developments into therapies that will ultimately improve human lives." "We're thrilled to have Insight join us in our mission to create novel therapies that improve women's lives," said Dr. Dina Radenkovic, CEO of Gameto. "Infertility is one of the first manifestations of accelerated ovarian decline. I'm incredibly excited that Gameto's technology could enable much cheaper, safer, faster, and more effective egg freezing and IVF. Our program Fertilo could help give women the power to have families at our own pace, when and how we want to do so." In order to support preclinical testing, Gameto has significantly expanded its global footprint with a headquarters and laboratory in New York and a European office in Madrid. Simultaneously, Gameto has formed a Bioethics committee composed of Professor Alta Charo, the Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a leading American authority on bioethics; Leslie Schrock, author, entrepreneur, and angel investor working at the convergence of health and technology, primarily in women's and family health; and Andrew McLaughlin, former Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States, to ensure that Gameto's developments are used for positive change. About Gameto: Based in New York and Madrid, Gameto is a biotechnology company using cell engineering to develop therapeutics for diseases of the female reproductive system. Gameto brings together an experienced scientific management team with vision and passion to develop groundbreaking products for women's health. Gameto is led by physician-turned-entrepreneur Dina Radenkovic as CEO and serial entrepreneur and leader in the fertility space Martin Varsavsky as Chairman. For more information, go to gametogen.com or follow us on Twitter @gametogen. About Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of June 30, 2022, the firm has over $80B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 700 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and Palo Alto. Insight's mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Insight Partners meets great software leaders where they are in their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners.