As fertility care continues to evolve, fertility centers are looking for infrastructure that not only keeps pace with growing complexity, but does so with clarity, safety, and trust. Partnerships that combine deep operational experience with thoughtful innovation are becoming increasingly important.

That shared approach is what brought Reprotech and IMT Matcher together.

"We are thrilled to partner with Matcher to continue our combined journey of providing the highest quality, safest, and most compliant products for our clinic partners,” said Brad Senstra, CEO of Reprotech. “Their team, technology, mission, and values align perfectly with our commitment to exceptional service, advanced technologies, and stringent compliance standards."

In this conversation, George Heywood, Chief Growth Officer of Reprotech and CEO of IMT Matcher, discusses how electronic witnessing, end-to-end traceability, and an unbroken digital chain of custody are helping fertility centers reduce risk and simplify workflows, while strengthening confidence for staff, regulators, and patients alike.

Q: For fertility centers new to Matcher, how do you describe what the technology actually does?

George: At its core, Matcher is all about helping fertility centers to prevent errors by ensuring the right gametes and embryos are matched to the right patient, but also simultaneously providing efficient digital traceability of all the people, products, and work locations involved throughout their journey.

Matcher is a barcode-based electronic witnessing, labeling, scheduling, and traceability system built specifically for fertility centers and donor banks. By replacing manual double-checks with electronic witnessing, it creates a secure digital audit trail for every step of the workflow.

For fertility centers, this means fewer opportunities for error, less paperwork, and complete confidence that everything is traceable and compliant with regulatory standards. The technology is designed to reflect a center's existing workflows, supporting teams without changing how they practice care.

Q: You often talk about “closing the loop” in fertility workflows. What does that mean in practice?

George: Closing the loop means there are no gaps in the patient’s chain of custody.

Fertility centers typically have strong controls within their own labs, but the moment specimens leave the building, whether for off-site cryostorage, donor banking, or genetic testing, visibility can diminish and risks can increase. A closed loop ensures that the same standards of identification and verification follow the specimen throughout its entire journey.

From initial patient identification in the fertility center, through long-term storage and back again, each handoff is digitally witnessed and recorded in real time. Clinical and cryostore processes become part of one continuous chain of custody, rather than separate systems relying on manual confirmation.

Q: Why was Reprotech the right partner for this first Cryo Chain™ integration?

George: Reprotech brings decades of experience in cryostorage and a reputation built on consistency, reliability, and trust. What stood out was not just technical capability, but a shared commitment to patient safety and operational excellence, protecting what matters most to fertility centers and patients.

Reprotech’s Smartsleeve™ technology was designed with existing clinic workflows in mind, which made integration with Matcher both practical and natural. Together, the focus has been on strengthening traceability without adding complexity, and on raising expectations around how chain of custody can and should work across the industry.

Q: How does the Reprotech Smartsleeve™ strengthen the chain of custody?

George: Smartsleeve™ adds an extra layer of security during storage and transport.

Each sleeve carries a unique digital identity using data matrix code and RFID technology. When combined with Matcher, this creates end-to-end digital traceability from the clinic, through transport, into long-term storage, and back again.

It’s a practical enhancement that reduces reliance on manual processes and supports more consistent, secure handling across teams and locations.

Q: What specific workflow improvements can fertility centers expect with end-to-end integration?

George: The most immediate change is workflow efficiency.

Manual checks are reduced, handovers become more consistent, and documentation for compliance is generated as part of routine work rather than as a separate task. Staff spend less time managing processes and more time focused on patients and outcomes.

Over time, this consistency supports smoother audits, clearer communication between teams, and greater operational confidence across the clinic.

Q: How does this change the patient experience?

George: When fertility centers can clearly explain how specimens are identified, tracked, and safeguarded at every stage, including off-site storage, it builds trust. Digital records and photographic evidence add transparency and give patients greater peace of mind by demonstrating that their fertility center is using the most advanced safeguards available.

For patients, having that confidence in the process can truly help their fertility journey.

Q: Some fertility centers worry that new technology adds complexity. How do you address that concern?

George: It’s an understandable concern, but Matcher is designed to simplify workflows, not complicate them. The system follows centers’ existing processes and reduces complexity by cutting out manual checks and paperwork. Matcher users around the world find it intuitive, and easy to implement, and because it’s modular, fertility centers can adopt it at their own pace.

The goal is to reduce cognitive load, not increase it.

Q: When can fertility centers begin using the full digital chain of custody?

George: The early adopter program has been drafted. In the coming weeks, we will begin reaching out to fertility centers to participate in our early adopter program. Fertility centers can also get in touch if they are interested in joining and benefiting from this new standard in traceability.

Looking Ahead

As fertility care becomes more interconnected, partnerships that combine proven experience with thoughtful innovation will play a critical role in shaping the future of clinic operations.