Pre~Seed^EQ FAQs - pg 1

Q. Who invented Pre-Seed?

A. Dr. Joanna Ellington (“Dr. E”) is a co-founder of INGfertility, and has been its CEO since inception in 1994. Dr. E developed the formulation for Pre~Seed® after seeing a need for a lubricant product that would not harm sperm during her 20 years of federally funded research in male infertility and sperm physiology.

Dr. E is also an internationally recognized scientist with over 75 publications. Her primary areas of research have been in: sperm storage in the Fallopian tube--how long sperm can live in the female prior to ovulation; how sperm DNA is damaged by assisted reproduction methods or male exposure to toxins; and the role of arabinogalactan in protecting cell function, including that of sperm and embryos.

Dr. E received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1984 from University of Tennessee and her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1990 in Reproductive Physiology. She is also a Board Certified Diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologist. Dr. Ellington was a large animal practitioner in the Seattle area from 1984- 1987, including equine reproduction and cattle embryo transfer.

Dr. E has received the prestigious National Institutes of Health’s Physician Scientist Award and First Independent Research in Science Training Award. The NIH also funded INGfertility’s initial work on Pre~Seed® through a small business grant (SBIR).

Her research in male reproductive physiology was honored by the scientific community when she received the internationally recognized Young Andrologist Award in 2003. In 2004, Dr. E was also awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine. This award annually recognizes one outstanding alumni from UT Knoxville with regards to public service and impact. She has also held leadership positions in several medical societies, including an Executive Council position in the American Society of Andrology (sperm physiologists).

Q. Where is Pre-Seed EQ Made?

A. Pre~Seed EQ  is made in the USA at neighboring Unicep Packaging in Idaho. Unicep is a FDA registered facility for packaging of drugs and devices, and it has the highest international quality certification of ISO 9001 2000. Our veterinary product line, is made to the same quality standards as our human product line.

Most lubricants are made by simply dumping ingredients together. In order to make our product with the correct pH for sperm, sub-batches must be slowly added and tested over the entire mixing process. This makes our formula challenging, and we have had several contract manufacturers tell us they simply cannot make this for us if we hold them to the tight specifications we have! Even though, these same groups mix most of the leading lubricant brands.

After mixing each lot of product we test five different parameters to ensure it meets our lot release specifications, before the product is sold. This testing is a unique feature of our products.

Q. Can Pre-Seed EQ be used in other species?

A.  Yes, Pre~Seed EQ can be used in any species, as a “fertility-friendly” lubricant. We have people using it on many types of exotics, even marine mammals, as well as other domestic species. We have found however, that horse sperm are quite sensitive to oxidative stress that occurs during collection and handling in the laboratory, as compared to some other domestic species. In this regard, the stallion sperm do better if the arabinogalactan is higher in the lubricant formulation. Arabinogalactan (AG), in the highly purified form we use costs $1,000/kg. This makes the Pre~Seed EQ a bit more expensive, but the stallion sperm need about 3 times the AG level that other species appear to require. This higher level doesn’t harm the other species, it is just an added expense that they don’t necessarily need. So we plan to come out with a general vet product in the next year, that will have less AG in it and be more cost effective, especially for food animal species.