What if we could delay menopause and give women many more years of heathy, empowered, and fertile life? How can we empower people with ovaries, who make up half our planet?
That’s the mission fueling Gameto, a New York-based biotechnology company focused on slowing the speed of ovarian aging.
Ovaries age fives times more rapidly than the rest of the body, leading to poor health consequences for women after menopause, which is associated with nearly 34 different medical symptoms.
And Gameto is at the forefront of companies trying to solve this problem.
They are developing methods to reengineer and reprogram ovarian cells, with the goal of synchronizing their aging cycles with the rest of the body.
In today’s blog, I’m going to give you an overview of Gameto, how their technology works, and what this means for the future of longevity and fertility.
Let’s dive in…
(This blog is written by Peter Diamandis, MD and Felicia Hsu, MD)
NOTE: Every year I take a small group of entrepreneurs, investors, and philanthropists on an annual Platinum Longevity Trip to experience first-hand exposure to the major players, scientists, companies and treatments in the longevity and vitality arena.
WHAT IS GAMETO?
Gameto wants to extend the lifespan of ovaries, while supporting their development and maturity. The company is approaching ovarian aging via the development of an ovarian therapeutics platform that combines technology from stem cells and cellular programming.
They are led by brilliant CEO and Co-founder, Dr. Dina Radenkovic, a University College London-trained doctor who became a Partner at SALT and a scientist at the Buck Institute, one of the world’s leading research institutes in aging.
After receiving her MD, Radenkovic felt that medicine was too focused on mitigating end-of-life symptoms. She wanted to do more. And soon, she found herself in the field of aging.
That's when she realized that no one was really tackling one of the more pernicious sources of aging: the ovaries.
And so, Gameto was born.
The first market Gameto is hoping to disrupt is in vitro fertilization (IVF), a massive market that helps older women conceive even when their fertility declines.
The technology Gameto is developing will help increase the effectiveness of IVF procedures by helping older ovaries mature and develop safely.
This should open the door for many women to conceive later in life in a safe and effective manner. Eventually, it may lead to therapies that can delay or even prevent menopause.
But how exactly does this platform work?
HOW EXACTLY DOES GAMETO WORK?
Gameto uses cellular reprogramming technology to take induced pluripotent stem cells and generate granulosa-like cells, which are the main drivers of egg maturation. Think of it as a special concoction and solution that helps the eggs grow and mature successfully.
This has enabled them to support the maturation of the egg in a way that integrates seamlessly with current IVF protocols. It increases the productivity, safety and success rate of IVF, which has historically had extremely low success rates—as low as 5.7%.
This doesn’t even include the emotional and mental toll that couples have to endure throughout the process.
Radenkovic says, “We're hoping that our therapy will reduce the burden of hormonal stimulation a woman received in IVF that is a major cause of side effects, duration, medicalization and cost, and prevent the need for multiple stimulation cycles.” Furthermore, to allow women with contraindications or poor response to current hormonal injections to produce “good” eggs.
Instead of dealing with 10-12 injections, blood tests, and ultrasounds, we imagine a world in which a woman would have to undergo one injection to have her eggs fertilized. And the safety profile could be markedly improved.
One of the most feared complications is ovarian hyperstimulation, which forces women to restart the arduous process and wait up to a year before trying again. Sometimes, it even lands them in the hospital.
But improving IVF is just the first part of their roadmap. In the future, they hope to build out their therapeutics platform to 1) better understand ovarian aging, and 2) delay or even prevent menopause altogether and tackle other conditions affecting female reproductive system using their models of engineered organoids.
Gameto’s implications for society are enormous.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF FERTILITY AND AGING & FINAL THOUGHTS
Ovarian aging is a key piece of the longevity puzzle, one that has been neglected for too long. In a world where we may live to 120, women should not be forced to plan their families by 35.
If you’re a husband, brother, son, or father to women who matter in your life... Or simply a man interested in your own lifespan… this is relevant to you.
Imagine a young woman trying to plan her life and early career. She is thinking that in her 20s and 30s, she wants to travel the world and find the right partner for that embryo, if she wants to have it. She wants to lead the next scientific breakthrough in pancreatic cancer. In her late 30s or 40s, she’s ready to start a family. And she should have that.
In a world and society where women are having children later, it’s a shame that the science has not caught up.
But Gameto is on a mission to change that.
Women will be able to have families on their own timeline, one that is more suited to modern society and our increasing longevity. And that will benefit all of us.
As it turns out, Gameto is a rapid growth phase of their company and looking to expand their team in order to keep breaking down barriers every day. If this sounds like an exciting and empowering future, get involved!
The convergence of computational biology, cellular reprogramming, and women’s health is the very frontier of medicine and health. There's no better time to start than now.
JOIN ME ON MY PLATINUM LONGEVITY TRIP
Is this topic of Longevity and Vitality of interest to you?
If yes, then consider joining me on my Platinum Longevity & Vitality Trip.
This August 10-14, 2022 and September 14-18, 2022, I'm taking two groups of VIP entrepreneurs and investors on what I call my “Platinum Longevity & Vitality Trip” to San Francisco and San Diego.
Each trip will be a luxury, 5-Star deep dive to meet with the top scientists, CEOs, clinical-stage biotech companies, and research institutes leading the charge against age-related diseases and extending the human healthspan.
Both trips are identical (capped at 35 participants per trip), during which I spend all 5 days with you as your private guide and provocateur. Through this personalized, action-packed program, my mission is to give you first-hand exposure to the major players, scientists, companies and treatments in the longevity and vitality arena.
What you get: All your questions answered. First-hand insights and early access to diagnostics, therapeutics, and investment opportunities.
To lock in your seat, sign up here!
