INVO Fertility, Inc. (NASDAQ:IVF) saw its stock price leap 13% following news that the company received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a new patent covering an upgraded version of its INVOcell device. The patent extends INVO’s intellectual property protections through the year 2040.
The USPTO issued the notice on June 17, 2025, for a patent application titled “Intravaginal Culture Incubation Container and Method.” The latest iteration of the device reflects input from top embryologists and includes a more streamlined design featuring a single main chamber, eliminating the separate microchamber used in previous versions.
The INVOcell is a unique FDA-cleared system that facilitates fertilization and early embryo development inside the woman’s body, offering an alternative to traditional in vitro fertilization (IVF), which relies on external lab incubation. First approved in 2015 and updated in 2023, the device now supports a five-day incubation period, up from the initial three days.
The process involves inserting the INVOcell — a small, thumb-sized container — into the vaginal cavity after combining eggs and sperm. Following the incubation period, embryos are removed and transferred to the uterus, with viable embryos also available for cryopreservation.
Steve Shum, CEO of INVO Fertility, highlighted the broader significance of the development: “The receipt of the new patent expands our intellectual property protection to this innovative approach, which delivers success rates comparable to traditional IVF, helping to make parenthood more accessible and inclusive for those facing infertility challenges worldwide.”
The new patent marks another milestone for INVO Fertility as it seeks to provide lower-cost, more inclusive reproductive care using its proprietary technology.