Prof. Melina Schuh

Prof. Melina Schuh is a world-leading expert on female fertility, with over 20 years of research experience in the field. As a Director of the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, she leads a team of ~20 individuals dedicated to deciphering the biology of mammalian eggs. Previously, as a tenured group leader at the MRC LMB in Cambridge, she pioneered groundbreaking studies on human eggs using state-of-the-art microscopy.

Melina’s pioneering work not only uncovers new biology but also drives transformative innovations that shatter boundaries in fertility research. Her breakthrough technologies include platforms for in vitro maturation of mammalian egg follicles outside the body (Pfender et al., 2015, Nature); the Trim-Away system, enabling rapid and selective protein depletion (Clift et al., 2017, Cell); and ex vivo tracking of ovulation in real time (Thomas et al., Nature Cell Biology). Committed to translating discovery into impact, she also set up a Satellite Research Lab in Bourn Hall, the world’s first IVF clinic.

Melina is a member of the Leopoldina (German Academy of Sciences) and EMBO and has received numerous prestigious awards, including the EMBO Gold Medal, Leibniz Prize, and Colworth Medal.

Dr Agata Zielinska

Dr Agata Zielinska is a physician scientist. She earned a triple degree from the University of Cambridge, remaining unwavering in her commitment to solving infertility throughout her journey. For her bachelor’s degree, she worked with Prof. Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz to track the pre-implantation development of mouse embryos. In 2014, she first joined forces with Melina to investigate why human egg quality declines with age. For her discoveries in the field of female ageing, she has been recognised with the Max Planck Society’s Otto Hahn Medal and the Young Scientist of 2018 title.

Agata has conducted research in leading reproductive biology labs across Cambridge, Göttingen, Munich, London and Kyoto, resulting in first/co-first author publications in Science, Nature Communications, and Current Biology, with over 700 citations. After completing the MD-PhD program, she became a resident doctor at Chelsea & Westminster and Imperial College London NHS Trusts, and worked as a medical trials physician in the team of Prof. Waljit Dhillo. Since 2019, she has been sharing her passion for Women’s Health as a supervisor in Human Reproduction at University of Cambridge. Driven by her commitment to translating research into clinical impact, she co-founded Ovo Labs to bring fertility solutions directly to patients.

Dr Oleksandr Yagensky

Sasha applies his expertise in business strategy and entrepreneurial experience to help couples worldwide achieve their dreams of becoming parents through Ovo Labs’ technology.

Before joining forces with Agata and Melina, Sasha spent five years at Bain & Company, where he became one of the fastest-promoted non-business hires to achieve the rank of Senior Manager in the history of the Bain DACH organization. At Bain, he completed over 45 commercial due diligence and strategy projects for Private Equity clients, leading teams on $100M to $10B transactions in the healthcare industry.

Sasha brings entrepreneurial experience to Ovo Labs, having previously co-founded a company in in vitro diagnostics. Sasha also holds a PhD in molecular biology from the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences (Göttingen), where he studied the molecular mechanisms of another age-related challenge, which is cognitive decline.

Dr Debojit Saha

Dr Debojit Saha is a Cell and Reproductive biologist whose research investigates the mechanistic origins of aneuploidy in mammalian oocytes. Driven by a strong interest in female fertility, he joined Melina’s lab at MPI-NAT (Göttingen, Germany) as a master’s student and subsequently completed his PhD in the same laboratory in 2023, focusing on age-dependent decline in female fertility.

As a postdoctoral researcher, Debojit currently works at the interface of fundamental biology and clinical application, developing strategies to improve age-related decline in human oocyte quality. With hands-on experience gained through research on human oocytes both in Melina’s basic science laboratory and in an IVF clinical setting at the Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic (Cambridgeshire, UK), he was motivated to join Ovo Labs as an advisor to translate laboratory discoveries into scalable therapies that improve IVF outcomes and expand female reproductive options.

Felix Klessinger

Felix is supporting the business operations of Ovo Labs. As a brother to five younger siblings, he developed a deep appreciation for family and is passionate about contributing to Ovo Labs' goal of enabling more couples to create families of their own.

He is currently studying Economics at Munich University (LMU) and has a background in start-up business operations, working 3 years as a Founder in Social-Media-Marketing. Before joining Ovo Labs, he also worked at BMW's center for research and innovation in Munich as part of their purchasing team, gaining firsthand experience in business operations at both small and large firms.

Dr Saba Manshaei

Dr Saba Manshaei earned her PhD in Developmental Biology with a focus on endocrinology from University College London (UK), where her passion for female fertility first took root. In 2022, she joined Melina’s basic science lab at the MPI-NAT (Germany) as a postdoctoral researcher, further deepening her expertise in the field.

She later transitioned to managing the group’s Satellite Research Facility, which is located on the premises of the world’s first IVF clinic, Bourn Hall in Cambrideshire, UK. Working with human oocytes gave Saba invaluable first-hand experience in clinical workflows across the fertility journey. With her background at UCL’s Translational Research Office, Saba is passionate about bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and commercial applications.

Dr Hyuk-Joon Jeon

Dr Hyukjoon Jeon is a reproductive biologist studying the molecular mechanisms that determine egg and early embryo quality. His research focuses on understanding how cellular ageing affects reproductive cells and how these insights can be translated into strategies to improve fertility outcomes.

He received his PhD from Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea, where he studied the molecular biology of oocytes and early embryos. His doctoral work explored chromosome segregation during oocyte meiosis, the impact of post-ovulatory ageing on egg quality, and the role of telomere physiology in oocytes. Through this research, he sought to better understand how age-related molecular changes in eggs influence fertility and early embryonic development.

He later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, where he investigated how telomere length is regulated during early embryonic development and how this process contributes to the inheritance of telomere length.

Having conducted research in South Korea and the United States, he recently joined Ovo Labs in Germany. At Ovo Labs, he focuses on developing new approaches to improve egg quality and support women undergoing IVF by translating discoveries in reproductive biology into practical fertility solutions.

Dr Mila Zemyarska

Mila is a scientist and doctor who is passionate about reproduction. She gained her undergraduate degree in Human Reproduction from the University of Edinburgh, before completing a master’s degree in Clinical Embryology at the University of Oxford and gaining experience working in fertility. Soon after she returned to education and in 2024 qualified as a medical doctor at the University of Cambridge, where she was also a supervisor for Human Reproduction.

Currently, Mila works as a medical doctor in the UK’s NHS and as a Clinical Project Coordinator for Ovo Labs, supporting the team to bring our dream to reality one step at a time.

Dr Noemi Zollo

Dr. Noemi Zollo is a cell biologist specializing in the molecular mechanisms regulating oocyte development. She earned her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Sorbonne Université and conducted her doctoral research under the supervision of Marie-Hélène Verlhac at the Collège de France in Paris. Through her training in fundamental cell biology, she developed a strong interest in understanding how cellular processes shape oocyte quality and developmental potential across vertebrates.

Her research explores how intracellular organization and gene expression are coordinated during oocyte growth and maturation. Her work focuses on connecting fundamental biological discoveries with advances in reproductive science and their translation into improved fertility treatments.

Dr Anastasiia Bondarieva

Dr Anastasiia Bondarieva earned her PhD in Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics from TU Dresden. Under supervision of Prof Dr Attila Tóth, using mouse model she studied the molecular mechanisms underlying DNA recombination during the first meiotic prophase, an essential process required for generation of healthy gametes and subsequently a healthy embryo.

She later joined the lab of Prof Dr Kikuë Tachibana at Totipotency department of MPI of Biochemistry in Munich. As postdoctoral researcher, Anastasiia took her interest in mammalian gametogenesis to a next step: how does a one cell embryo, a product of fertilization, acquire its ability to form an entire organism? Using cutting-edge transcriptomics and chromatin profiling methods, Anastasiia studied the mechanisms of chromatin awakening in the mouse pre-implantation embryos.

Joining the Ovo Labs, Anastasiia brings her basic science experience in fields of gametogenesis and early embryo development to help reaching a goal of improved IVF treatments.

Ainhoa Larreategui

Ainhoa Larreategui is a research embryologist with a doctoral background in Developmental Biology from Utrecht University and the Hubrecht Institute (Netherlands). Her research has focused on understanding chromosomal errors in mammalian oocytes and early embryos, combining advanced microscopy with human and large-animal models.

During her training, Ainhoa gained extensive hands-on experience with assisted reproductive technologies, including oocyte and embryo culture, microinjection, and live-cell imaging. She also worked in an equine assisted reproduction clinic, where she developed practical experience with clinical embryology workflows.