Vios Fertility Institute (Vios) – a global leader in fertility treatment, research and science – expands their network partnership with TMRW Life Sciences (TMRW) to implement a state-of-the-art cryo management solution for fertility specimens at their St. Louis clinic/lab on January 26, 2022.
TMRW’s technology provides the world’s first and only fully automated specimen management platform (CryoRobot) that identifies, tracks, and manages frozen eggs and embryos – central to almost every IVF journey. Vios Fertility Institute’s Chicago lab was the first in the world to adopt this revolutionary technology in early 2021.
“At Vios, we are committed to being an innovative fertility clinic and ensuring patients benefit from the technologies that protect the embryos and eggs they worked so hard to preserve to build their families,” explains Dr. Amber Cooper, Medical and IVF Practice Director of Vios Fertility Institute -St. Louis. “Our company was the first in the world to embrace this technology because we know how important peace of mind and this protection is for patients. While human error with manual tanks is rare, even one instance can be catastrophic which is why this new technology-driven platform that delivers digital tracking and thousands of daily safety checks is game-changing for our field.”
St. Louis couples Kadie & Mark Brown, and Beth & Daren Berry have received fertility treatments from Vios – St. Louis will be the first patients to begin storing frozen embryos in TMRW’s CryoRobot.
“While we are preparing for the birth of our second child this April, TMRW’s technology provides us with peace of mind knowing that our remaining embryos are being monitored 24/7,” adds Kadie Brown.
“We are thrilled to learn that Vios will be implementing TMRW’s cryo management system and that our embryos will be cared for using this new technology,” explains Beth Berry. “Vios is always on the forefront of the latest research and techniques, which is one of the many reasons we chose Dr. Cooper and her team for our fertility journey.”
Since the birth of the first IVF baby over 40 years ago, reproductive medicine has progressed with numerous breakthroughs and discoveries, but the management of frozen specimens has not seen the same level of advancement. Current methods are manual, analog, and labor-intensive, challenged to keep up with increasing levels of demand for fertility services. TMRW brings technology and automation to the process, providing digital identification and tracking of specimens and complete traceability of the frozen eggs and embryos of every patient. TMRW’s proprietary ‘Overwatch’ provides 24/7 monitoring giving complete assurance as to the safety of specimens under clinic care. The Vios network embraces the technological and engineering advances that the TMRW platform provides and is ushering in a new and improved standard of care in the IVF lab.
“We are proud to expand our partnership with Vios Fertility, a global fertility pioneer, to provide this cutting-edge solution and deliver unparalleled transparency, traceability and security, dramatically reducing risk and providing peace of mind during what is a deeply personal journey for fertility patients,” said Tara Comonte, CEO of TMRW. “TMRW’s solution enables clinics to scale to meet the growing demand for fertility services and safely care for the resulting exponential increase in the number of specimens under their management.”
The TMRW cryo specimen management platform key features include:
- Proprietary labware with industry-leading thermal properties and fully automated robotic storage (‘CryoRobot’) to maintain safe cryogenic temperatures for specimens at all times.
- Unique digital identification for each patient using advanced RFID labware, enabling clinics to identify and track specimens, creating an unbreakable track and trace audit trail.
- 24/7, remote monitoring (‘Overwatch’) performs thousands of system performance checks every day, enabling the system to proactively predict clinic and specimen safety.
- Fully encrypted, HIPAA-compliant software, providing the highest level of privacy and security to both patient and clinic data.
Vios Fertility Institute has three locations in the St. Louis/Southern Illinois region including: Creve Coeur, MO (clinic/lab) 347 North Lindbergh Boulevard, O’Fallon, MO (clinic) 5551 Winghaven Blvd. Suite 230, and Swansea, IL (clinic) 6 Bronze Pointe.