Fertility
Research roundup: Discover the latest research and developments in fem tech
Fem Tech World explores the latest research developments impacting on women’s health.
AI system detects heart defects on foetal ultrasound exams
A new study has evaluated whether an artificial intelligence (AI) system can improve the detection of congenital heart defects on foetal ultrasound exams among both general OBGYNs and maternal foetal medicine specialists.
The team found that assistance by the AI system significantly improved detection of studies suspicious for congenital heart defects. AI may play a pivotal role in improving prenatal detection of CHD.
Inhibitor drugs to treat aggressive breast cancer identified
Two inhibitor drugs with the potential to interrupt disease progression have been identified in a new study.
By examining the biology of metaplastic breast cancer and comparing it to non-metaplastic triple negative breast cancer, a team of researchers have discovered metaplastic breast cancers typically exhibit two unique signalling pathways in their cell interaction.
The team were able to disrupt these pathways using a class of inhibitors typically used to treat advanced cancers – phosphoinositide 3 kinase inhibitor (P13K) – in combination with a nitric oxide inhibitor (NOS) typically used to treat septic shock, cardiovascular disease and other conditions.
When introduced to the cell, these drugs disrupted these pathways, making the treatment more effective.
The team say the findings offer a promising therapeutic option for one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat subtypes of breast cancer.
Could the contraceptive pill reduce risk of ovarian cancer?
The oral contraceptive pill reduced the risk of ovarian cancer by 26 per cent among women who had ever used the Pill, and by 43 per cent for women who had used the Pill after the age of 45, a new study has found.
Biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer risk were also identified in the study, including several characteristics of red blood cells and certain liver enzymes in the blood, with lower body weight and shorter stature associating with a lower risk of ovarian cancer.
Researchers also found that women who had given birth to two or more children had a 39 per cent reduced risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to those who had not had children.
Maternal biomarker test significantly reduces neonatal morbidities
A biomarker test to identify pregnant people at higher risk of preterm birth significantly improved neonatal outcomes, including reducing infant morbidity as well as reducing admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the amount of time spent in the NICU.
In a clinical trial, the biomarker test, which analysed a participant’s blood, was administered in the middle of the second trimester of pregnancy to identify individuals at higher risk of delivering an infant preterm.
The test classified 23.5 percent of participants as higher risk within the preterm birth prevention arm. In addition to the traditional standard of care, individuals identified as high risk were given a low-risk and low-cost regimen of daily vaginal progesterone and low-dose aspirin and also assigned weekly standardised phone calls with a nurse.
The researchers say that the findings suggest a transformative strategy for reducing neonatal complications.
No evidence that maternal sickness during pregnancy causes autism
Of the few conditions truly associated with autism, a new study reveals that all of them are actually complications with the foetus — leading the authors to believe that those symptoms were early signs of autism in the child and not the cause of it.
The study included an analysis of the medical histories of more than 1.1 million pregnancies (among 600,000 mothers) from a national registry in Denmark.
The researchers corrected for factors that could confound, or offer an alternative explanation for, the link between the diagnosis a woman received and a child’s autism diagnosis.
These factors include sociodemographic status and the mother’s age during pregnancy, since children of older mothers are more likely to be diagnosed with autism, and their mothers are also more likely to receive certain diagnoses, such as hypertension, than their younger counterparts.
After accounting for these confounding factors, as well as for concurrent diagnoses, 30 were still statistically associated with autism in the child.
To determine if these happened to occur alongside rather than cause autism, the researchers then included the siblings of autistic children in the analysis. If a mother was diagnosed with the same condition during pregnancies of children with and without autism, then it would suggest that factors other than her diagnosis were influencing the link with autism.
The researchers say their interpretation is that these foetal diagnoses likely do not cause autism, but are instead early signs of it.
Onto Health has acquired Levy Health, a fertility software company providing precision diagnostics and patient intake for reproductive medicine.
The acquisition, fuelled by Onto Health’s US$20m Series A fundraise in April, supports its plan to build scalable, tech-enabled infrastructure for reproductive medicine.
Onto founder Roohi Jeelani, MD, called it the first of several moves in the company’s expansion strategy in a LinkedIn post, adding that there was “more coming soon”.
She said: “This isn’t just an acquisition, it’s proof of how we’re building Onto: physician-led, tech-enabled, and built to scale without losing the personal touch fertility patients deserve.”
Headquartered in Chicago, Onto Health combines evidence-based fertility care with artificial intelligence-driven diagnostics, clinical automation and longevity science.
AI-driven diagnostics use software to analyse patient information and support clinical decision-making, rather than replace clinicians.
Levy Health, founded in Berlin with US offices in San Francisco, helps medical providers identify endocrine disorders more quickly and helps clinics streamline fertility workups.
Endocrine disorders affect the body’s hormone system, which can influence ovulation, menstrual cycles and fertility.
Co-founder Caroline Mitterdorfer said joining Onto would expand Levy Health’s fertility care tools to more clinics and patients, helping physicians focus on patient care.
Onto opened its first clinic in Chicago in February, with plans for three more in the greater Chicago area.
The company said in April that it would use its new funding, led by Artis and Humania, to support additional operations in the US and expand into the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The Gulf Cooperation Council includes six Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf.
Softening ageing ovaries could help women remain fertile for longer, early animal research suggests.
Fertility declines with age for several reasons, including poorer egg quality, fewer ovarian follicles and the gradual stiffening of ovarian tissue.
Existing fertility treatments, including hormone therapy and in vitro fertilisation, mainly address hormonal imbalances or help eggs mature or become fertilised.
Scientists are now examining whether changing the physical structure of the ovaries could provide another route for future fertility treatments.
Stuart A. Cook, of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Programme at Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, published an accompanying commentary on the research.
Researchers led by Shixuan Wang at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, collected healthy ovarian tissue from younger, middle-aged and older women.
They also examined samples from patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, known as PCOS, premature ovarian insufficiency, or POI, and endometriosis.
PCOS is a hormonal condition that can disrupt ovulation. POI occurs when the ovaries stop working normally before the age of 40, while endometriosis causes tissue similar to the womb lining to grow elsewhere in the body.
Tests of protein levels and gene activity found higher levels of the inflammatory protein interleukin-11, or IL-11, in ageing and diseased ovaries.
In laboratory experiments, the researchers exposed ovarian fibroblasts to IL-11. Fibroblasts are cells that produce connective tissue.
The protein caused the cells to produce excess collagen, a structural material that can build up during scarring and make tissue stiffer.
The researchers then genetically modified mice so they could not respond to IL-11. The animals developed less ovarian stiffening and maintained better ovarian function as they aged.
Similar results were seen in mouse models of PCOS and POI caused by chemotherapy.
In the final part of the experiment, older mice and rats were injected with a nanoparticle treatment containing small interfering RNA, or siRNA, designed to switch off IL-11.
The treatment made the animals’ ovaries less stiff and improved fertility.
Pregnancy rates among older mice rose from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, while average litter sizes also increased.
More rats treated with the therapy became pregnant and produced larger litters.
The approach remains highly speculative and will require considerably more research before its safety or effectiveness in women can be established.
However, the researchers said blocking the inflammatory pathway could eventually form the basis of new fertility treatments.
They said: “We propose that anti-IL-11 therapy represents a promising translational strategy for delaying ovarian ageing.”
W Group has opened applications for W Accelerate with Merck KGaA and M Ventures, inviting reproductive and maternal health startups, scaleups and spinouts to pitch for direct access to global pharma partnership and strategic investment.
Selected companies will pitch on 5th October, competing for the chance to accelerate their growth through commercial partnerships, investment, or both.
This is the third time Merck KGaA, a global leader in reproductive health, has partnered with W Group on the programme, which exists to close the innovation and investment gap in women’s health by connecting the sector’s most promising startups directly with the corporates and investors positioned to scale them.
What Merck KGaA and M Ventures are looking for
This year’s call is focused on breakthrough solutions in female infertility, fertility preservation, adenomyosis, endometriosis, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), ovarian insufficiency, preeclampsia and pregnancy comorbidities.
New for this round, applicants choose between three pathways depending on what they need from the programme:
- The Partnership Lane, for companies seeking commercial collaborations and strategic relationships
- The Investment Lane, for founders looking to connect with investors and secure funding to scale
- The Dual Lane, for innovators pursuing both partnership and investment opportunities
How the Accelerate event works
Selected companies get a 1:1 pitch practice session ahead of time, then a private 30-minute session with Merck KGaA and M Ventures leadership on the day itself, small-group sessions with regulatory and investment strategy experts, an “Ask Merck Anything” roundtable, and a VIP networking reception.
Key dates
- Open call launches: 8th July
- Open call closes: 2nd September
- Notification of successful companies: 11th September
- Pitch day: 5th October
Applications are open now at wplatform.typeform.com/to/KGzviBQM.
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