Commercialisation of ASX-listed bio-separations company Memphasys’ proprietary sperm separation system Felix has entered a pivotal stage with the Company signing on the first of a number of leading international andrology and IVF clinics as partners to conduct invitro assessments of the device.
The company (ASX: MEM) has inked an MoU with leading Swedish-based male infertility and andrology centre, ANOVA Karolinska, the first international Key Opinion Leader (KOL) to agree to take part in in-vitro assessments of the Felix device.
The news has seen Memphasys share price soar as much as 53% or 1.7c to an intraday high of 4.9c.
The ANOVA Karolinska team – to be led by Senior Consultant Physician and Head of Andrology Laboratory Dr Lars Björndahl – will participate with world renowned fertility expert and co-inventor of the Felix technology, Prof John Aitken from the University of Newcastle, and Memphasys in the clinical validation of the Felix device in a clinical setting.
ANOVA is the first of a number of leading international andrology and IVF Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) Memphasys has invited to participate in the Felix clinical assessment studies.
ANOVA will work collaboratively with Prof Aitken to validate the Felix system and confirm its application and efficacy in separating spermatozoa under clinical conditions from a range of clinical samples of human semen.
The KOL clinical assessment studies will assess and confirm Felix’s performance for IVF clinics in preparing sperm from diverse semen types when compared with the current lab-based methods which are labour intensive, costly and contribute to sperm DNA damage.
This is a major milestone for Memphasys as it represents an exciting stage in the commercial development of our Felix device,” Memphasys Executive Chairman Alison Coutts said.
“We are recruiting 10-15 of the leading IVF clinics and andrology reference centres in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia to take part in the Felix assessment under the leadership of Prof John Aitken.”
Ms. Coutts said Memphasys would provide the console and cartridges required for the assessment program and will also provide training and support regarding the use of device.
Memphasys has developed the Felix device and tested it under laboratory conditions over the last four years.
The outcomes of the Felix clinical assessments will provide further evidence as to the technical capabilities and broaden the clinical benefits of the Felix device, provide significant user examples of range of use and further refine the commercialisation strategy of the Company.
In September 2018 the Company announced it had entered into a Collaborative Agreement with leading IVF specialists, Monash IVF Group (ASX: MVF) (“Monash IVF”) for the commercial development of Felix. Under that agreement Monash IVF clinicians and researchers will now provide advice on the design and operation of the new Felix device to be marketed to IVF clinics globally.
Shares in Memphasys were last trading at 4.5c in early afternoon trading.