This year’s Max Planck Start-up Award of the Stifterverband honours the work of Ovo Labs. Founded in 2025 as a spin-off from the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, the young biotech company develops novel therapeutics designed to improve the quality of human oocytes (egg cells).
The prize, endowed with 30,000 euros, will be awarded on 16 June 2026 in Frankfurt.
The foundations were laid when biochemist and MBExC member Melina Schuh and her team uncovered why genetic errors increase particularly in older egg cells. Building on these findings, the young biotech company is working to improve the chances of pregnancy through its innovative fertility solutions, with the aim of making a tangible difference in people’s lives.
You can find the press release here.
The team behind Ovo Labs (from left)- Dr. Agata Zielinska, Prof. Dr. Melina Schuh, and Dr. Oleksandr Yagensky. © Irene Böttcher-Gajewski _ Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences
