Renew Biotechnologies, on January 29, 2025, went on to announce as Renew becomes clinical testing provider for NOA Guide by Path Fertility, which apparently is a newly launched epigenetic diagnostic test that is designed to inform surgical decision-making when it comes to men having non-obstructive azoospermia – NOA, which is a form of male infertility.

It is worth noting that the NOA Guide makes utmost use of the native-read sequencing technology by Renew so as to directly measure the epigenetic signals sans any sort of amplification or even chemical conversion and is enhanced so as to detect the quantifying sperm-derived cell-free DNA - cfDNA from the seminal samples.

The test is going to be processed by Wasatch BioLabs, which is a subsidiary of Renew and acts as the centralized core lab across all research and clinical sample processing. The test indeed addresses a long-standing gap when it comes to male infertility care. Patients having azoospermia most often than not go through surgical sperm retrieval, having limited ability to forecast if sperm are present or retrievable. Through identifying cfDNA signatures, which are associated with spermatogenesis, even at the time when the intact sperm are not observed, NOA Guide provides a minimally invasive way to evaluate the underlying production and also retrieval potential.

The collaboration has in it assay development and validation along with clinical-grade processing, helping with dependable epigenetic measurement, which is suitable for routine clinical usage with downstream effects when it comes to reproductive decision-making. According to co-founder & CEO Chad Pollard of Renew Biotechnologies, which is going to be the clinical testing provider for NOA Guide by Path Fertility, "Programs like NOA Guide reflect the type of diagnostic innovation we are focused on enabling. Our role is to help transform emerging biological insights into analytically sound, clinically operational tests through rigorous development and clinical processing."

Kristin Brogaard, PhD, Co-founder & CSO, Path Fertility, opines that "For men with non-obstructive azoospermia, the decision to pursue surgical sperm retrieval can be daunting and deeply personal. NOA Guide brings epigenetic insight earlier in the care journey, helping patients and clinicians approach these decisions with greater clarity and confidence."

Interestingly, the scientific foundation for the NOA Guide was created in partnership with academic researchers Dr. Tim Jenkins, Dr. Jonathon Hill, and Ryan Miller, as well as Dr. Ryan Barney, all from Brigham Young University, alongside major contributions coming in from the Path Fertility team’s Dr. Kristin Brogaard and Derek Petersen.

Through supporting diagnostic innovators such as Path Fertility, Renew Biotechnologies advances novel clinical applications that have come into existence through native-read sequencing, as Renew Becomes Clinical Testing–ready in its approach, enabling the partners to translate the biological insights that are emerging into analytically strong and clinically deployable diagnostics.