Development of endometrial microbiome testing for reproductive health

Yoko Nagai, Co-founder & CTO, Varinos Inc.

Varinos, a still-infant startup established in February 2017, is engaged in contract analysis using a next-generation sequencer. Our aim is to provide genomic medicine. As the first step, we provide genomic analysis to bring innovation in infertility treatment. Our customers are obstetricians and gynecologists and our aim is to save the end users, namely, patients receiving fertility treatment. In Japan, about 400,000 patients received IVF treatment last year. Although the treatment costs about ¥1.5 million, 70% of the patients failed to achieve pregnancy and 85.5% of them asked for improvement in pregnancy rates.
Last year, an astonishing study result was reported: pregnancy and fertility rates are higher in women with Lactobacillus-dominated microbiota than those with non-Lactobacillus-dominated microbiota. This report shows that Lactobacillus-dominated endometrial microbiota may be a crucial factor in protecting mother's body and fertilized embryos from infection by other viruses. In response to the reported result, we will develop a new intrauterine flora inspection service related to the endometrial microbiome. We extract DNA from an endometrial sample taken from an infertility treatment patient, which is sent to us from a doctor, and amplify and sequence the extracted DNA to analyze the microbiome to send the report of the analysis back to the doctor.
We opened a laboratory in July this year in Shinagawa, where we started a pilot study involving four infertility treatment clinics and 60 patients. Because the endometrial environment can be easily changed with a supplement and an intrauterine douche, we will start clinical research on interventional medicine in January 2018.

[Mentors' comments]
"Your efforts are focused on addressing important unmet needs and providing diagnostic solutions. I also commend the fact that you take the approach of cooperating with doctors to achieve change." Craig Garner, SPARK Berlin

"While microbiome has drawn keen interest from researchers, there are two major issues: one is the technical issue that there are no global standards for sampling testing, and the other is associated with targeting strategies, because the issues that need to be addressed and the best way to raise funds will differ depending on whether or not your service is targeted at consumers and whether your business is directed toward medical practice, such as improving the effects of IVF." Dong Wu, Johnson & Johnson INNOVATION

[Speaker Profile]
In 2014, she joined Illumina KK as a sequencing specialist to consulting and encourage human genome research. In 2017, she founded Varinos Inc., a biotechnology company focused on clinical genomic test development and service, with Dr. Sakuraba, a clinical specialist of Illumina KK. Their aim is to provide genome medicine to everyone.
Varinos Inc. website: http://varinos.strikingly.com/