| Host |
Sam Kessel
|
| Listen | Apple Podcasts Spotify |
| Watch | YouTube |
Summary
Merrick Smela, Chief Scientific Officer, and Travis Potter, Chief Executive Officer of Ovelle, joined the Nucleate Podcast to discuss their mission to revolutionize infertility treatment using in vitro gametogenesis (IVG). IVG is the process of creating eggs from normal cells that can be fertilized and implanted, a method first demonstrated in mice in 2016. Ovelle's goal is to provide an option for individuals who cannot use IVF, such as cancer survivors or those with low ovarian reserve, and eventually to offer a superior alternative to traditional IVF by producing an unlimited number of eggs from a simple tissue sample, avoiding hormone treatments and surgical procedures. The company's unique scientific approach involves identifying and directly activating gene regulatory factors to quickly achieve a particular cell state. This "direct regulatory factor expression approach" is significantly faster than trying to mimic the natural biology of egg development, which can take 14 years or more inside a woman's ovaries. Smela's recent research, completed during his PhD at Harvard, identified regulatory factors that can initiate meiosis—a critical step where eggs get the correct number of chromosomes—in about 12 days.
Travis Potter, who transitioned from a nearly 20-year career in finance at Goldman Sachs and a hedge fund, was motivated by his personal struggles with having a second child, noticing the lack of innovation in IVF over the past 45 years and the minimal global funding for IVG research. He found that building Ovelle required a shift in focus from the "ruthless culture" of finance to one prioritizing "meaning versus money," with biotech driven by a mission to have a positive impact on others' lives. The co-founders emphasized the critical need for strong prioritization, using a "critical path analysis" to focus limited resources on the minimal steps necessary for success, such as erasing DNA methylation, ensuring meiosis, and growing the eggs to a sufficient size. While challenges remain, including combining myiotic and supporting cells to form reconstituted ovarian follicles, the final step—in vitro maturation (IVM)—has already been achieved in humans. Ultimately, the team is focused on first achieving a proof of concept, followed by extensive quality control, optimization, and safety trials, including in non-human primates, before the technology is safe for human use.
Show Notes
Time Stamps
1:58 Merrick Smela's Early Influence
03:36 Ovelle's Founding: Travis Potter and Merrick Smela
05:07 Travis Potter's Motivation After Facing Fertility Struggles
06:44 Underfunding of IVG
07:48 Finance/Biotech Commonalities
09:15 Scientific Co-founder Role: Merrick Smela
09:56 Using Statistics in Design
12:25 Definition of IVG
12:54 Ovelle's Mission to Revolutionize Infertility Treatment
13:33 IVG vs. IVF
15:49 Ovelle's Unique Scientific Approach
16:39 Direct Activation vs. Natural Signaling:
18:17 Meiosis Paper Innovation: Identifying Regulatory Factors that can Activate Meiosis from Stem Cells
21:23 Team Building: Finding Dedicated Scientists
24:20 Culture Difference (Meaning vs. Money)
28:35 IVG Process Overview:
29:36 IVM is Achieved in Humans:
30:35 Quality Control and Safety of Eggs
32:35 Prioritization using Critical Path Analysis:
35:02 Investor Funding for IVG as a New Fertility Approach
41:21 Rapid Fire Questions
Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrick-p-75513414a/
Ovelle
