生殖補助医療業界や男性医療業界で働いている方は、メンファシスの精子分離技術である Felix™ デバイスについて聞いたことがあるかもしれません。このデバイスは現在商業生産されており、日本、カナダ、ニュージーランドなどの早期導入国で販売されています。 - 中国とオーストラリアで臨床研究と規制認証申請の準備が進行中。
Felix™ is the direct result of our ongoing collaboration with Professor John Aitken, a truly global leader in the field of reproductive biology. As Memphasys focuses our business development in the assisted reproduction and fertility market, supported by an expanding partnership with the Professor and his great team, it’s a good time to find out more about the expert who’s been a powerful, insightful driving force at Memphasys since joining the team as Scientific Director in 2021.
Attracting funds for fundamental fertility research
For a start, Professor Aitken has another role in addition to his wonderful work with Memphasys, and you won’t be surprised to learn this other position is also committed to innovation in reproductive technology. As founder of a 50-strong research team studying fertility and contraception at the University of Newcastle, Australia, he has attracted almost $50 million in funding and created one of the largest concentrations of reproductive expertise in the world.
Professor Aitken is very passionate about the fertility space, especially when it comes to getting care to those who need it. “Each year, the reproductive needs of some 120 million couples worldwide go unmetâ€, the Professor explains. “I believe that finding more effective ways to control fertility is a critical global issue while, at an individual level, we should never forget the large number of couples seeking safe, effective solutions to their infertility. At the moment, we just don’t have the right methods to empower women to control their own fertility.â€
Book helps readers avoid The Infertility Trap
With more than 650 research articles published, and around 63,000 citations of his work and counting (putting him in the top 5% indexing for all Biology and Biochemistry citations), it’s perhaps no surprise that Professor Aitken has found time to write a book that is highly regarded by some of the most eminent specialists in the reproductive space.
The Professor gives a synopsis of his book, The Infertility Trap, “There’s a potential crisis in human fertility brewing. As societies become more affluent, they experience changes that have a dramatic impact on reproduction. As average family sizes fall, the selection pressure for high-fertility genes decreases; exacerbated by the IVF industry, which allows infertility-linked genes to pass into the next generation. Male fertility rates are low for many reasons, including genetics and exposure to environmental toxins. So, there is a perfect storm of factors contriving to drive fertility rates down at unprecedented rates. If we do not recognise the reality of our situation and react accordingly, an uncontrollable decline in population numbers is likely, which we’ll be unable to reverse.
“This book addresses, in a unique and multi-faceted way, how the consequences of modern life affect fertility, so that we can consider behavioural, social, medical and environmental changes, which could reduce the severity of what is about to come.â€
Specialists at the top of their field have applauded the book. For example, Professor Ralf Henkel from Imperial College London said The Infertility Trap is “A thoughtful and forward-looking, expertly written analysis of human fertility projected into the future’, and that it’s a “must-read, not only for fertility specialists.†You can find out more about the book for yourself here.
Focussed on the future of fertility
There’s a lot more achievement to Professor John Aitken’s professional profile, such as being the highest ranked expert on sperm biology and fertilisation in the world by Expertscape, Australian magazine’s 2019 leading reproductive biologist, a recent top 5 ranking in the world’s leading Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine scientists by Stanford University, plus he’s won several major awards in reproductive science, including the Carl G Hartman Award from the Society for the Study of Reproduction (USA), Distinguished Andrologist Award from the American Society of Andrology and the NSW Scientist of the Year.
But the Professor is not one to dwell on past successes; because he knows the importance of enhancing fertility and reproductive outcomes, he’s committed to working with Memphasys to deliver the reproductive technologies of tomorrow.
All of us at Memphasys are delighted to have Professor Aitken by our side as we move forward to focussed business development in the assisted reproduction and fertility market to develop a world class portfolio of device, diagnostic and media products that address critical human and animal reproduction issues.