Celmatix and 23andMe Announce Launch of Fertility Research Community

February 22, 2017

Companies to recruit 4,500 women for ambitious Celmatix longitudinal study to identify new markers related to reproductive health

NEW YORK- February 22, 2017 – Celmatix, a next-generation women’s health company, and 23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, today announced the launch of a new fertility research community. The goal of this initiative is to recruit 4,500 women, aged 18-45, who are trying to conceive or who have recently conceived. In addition to collecting genetic data from participants, the study will longitudinally track clinical, environmental, lifestyle, diet-associated, and fertility outcome metrics. This dataset will contribute to Celmatix’s larger research efforts, which are aimed at understanding factors that contribute to lifelong reproductive potential in a diverse population with the aim of identifying new genetic and other markers related to reproductive health.

Women aged 18-45 who are trying to conceive or who have recently conceived can participate from home by consenting to provide a DNA sample (saliva), answering online surveys (one every two months for 18 months), and agreeing to share their de-identified, individual-level data with researchers. All study participants will receive 23andMe’s Personal Genome Service® at no cost. The study is currently open to U.S. residents only.

“Celmatix was founded with the goal of empowering women to be more proactive in managing their reproductive health through better data, including genetics,“ explained Celmatix founder and CEO, Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim. “23andMe is the ideal collaborator to help recruit and manage this fertility research community given their shared vision for enabling people to be more proactive about their health through genetic insights and, also, the passion of their customer base for contributing to groundbreaking research. This ambitious initiative will bring us closer to enabling any woman, who may want to have a child one day, better understand how decisions about lifestyle, diet, and when to start building a family may impact her ability to have as many children as she wants given her underlying genetics. Many studies have explored these factors in isolation. This is the first study to bring them all together in one longitudinal dataset.”

“Many women struggle with fertility challenges, and yet there’s still a limited understanding about what causes differences in fertility. For women who have faced difficulties when trying to conceive, there is the desire to understand why this is happening. And for women entering their child-bearing years, it can be frustrating to realize there are significant unknowns about one’s fertility that can have big implications. Ultimately, this study has the capability to positively impact our understanding of fertility by leveraging big data, helping women understand their unique fertility, and empowering potential parents to make informed choices,” explained Emily Drabant Conley, PhD, vice president of business development from 23andMe.

Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro, MD, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a scientific advisor to the study, stated, “The studies we have available right now to counsel women on their reproductive potential don’t include genetic-level insight and are generally smaller and less detailed than studies in other areas of health. A landmark study of this kind that simultaneously tracks the impact of environment, diet, lifestyle, and clinical metrics in the context of genetic background, on fertility potential and outcomes has never been conducted on this scale. Not only does this work have the potential to drive the next generation of personalized medicine products to impact clinical management, but it will also likely result in significant contributions to our fundamental understanding of the science of fertility.”

To learn more about the study, please visit www.23andme.com/fertility .

About Celmatix

Celmatix is a next-generation women’s health company transforming reproductive health care through genomics and big data. Founded in 2009 and based in New York City, Celmatix is disrupting how women approach their lifelong fertility journey by empowering them with more personalized information. The company’s research-driven products include Fertilome®, the world’s first multigene panel test that reveals what a woman’s DNA says about her reproductive health, and Polaris®, a real-time predictive analytics platform in use at leading fertility clinics across the U.S., which helps physicians optimize patient outcomes and improve the patient experience. For more information, visit www.celmatix.com.

About 23andMe

23andMe, Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, is a leading consumer genetics and research company. Founded in 2006, the company’s mission is to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. 23andMe has pioneered direct access to genetic information as the only company with multiple FDA clearances for genetic health reports. The company has created the world’s largest crowdsourced platform for genetic research, with 80% of its customers electing to participate. The 23andMe research platform has generated more than 180 publications on the genetic underpinnings of a wide range of diseases. The platform also powers the 23andMe Therapeutics group, currently pursuing drug discovery programs rooted in human genetics across a spectrum of disease areas, including oncology, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to other therapeutic areas. More information is available at www.23andMe.com.