Every Monday we share a quick “best of” from the week that was with our Inner Circle members. What’s trending in the Femtech Insider community and beyond? We’ve got you covered! In this week's brief we talk about...
- Highlights: All Eyes on Ovarian Biology, Maternal Health on the Rise & Reinventing the Dental Dam
- Spotlight: What is Preeclampsia?
- ✨ Startup Spotlight:Cycla, Vivelle & Rythm #superearlystage
- And more!
Headlines: Here's what got us talking last week!
➡️ All Eyes on Ovarian Biology
At the beginning of the year we went viral with our prediction that 2022 could very well be the year ovarian health makes significant progress and headlines. And so far we haven't been disappointed. Just last week biotech company Celmatix reached a key preclinical milestone in its premature menopause revention drug program, while biotech startup & Cambrian portfolio company Oviva raised its $11.5M seed round.
Why are we excited about this field? Celmatix, Oviva and others are developing therapeutics, with the potential to postpone menopause, address infertility and solve for chronic conditions such as PCOS or endometriosis by leveraging ovarian biology in different ways. So their success could truly be a gamechanger for women's health.
If you'd like to learn more, check out our piece on Ovarian Biology from January!
➡️ Maternal Health: 📈
A few weeks ago we talked about "Maternal Health Mega Week" in this brief, when Delfina, Zaya, Noula & Wildflower Health all came out with funding announcements within less than a week. And the good news is: It wasn't just a "lucky streak".
Maternal health companies continue to attract fundingto bring much needed innovation to the space. Last week's highlights included Cayaba Care raising a $12M Series A, Mahmee adding $9.2M in Series A funding, Pulsenmore inking a partnership with GE Healthcare (incl. up to $50M in funding) and biotech company Mirvie adding $60M for its RNA platform focused on early prediction of pregnancy complications.
➡️ Ever heard of a dental dam?
Well. You have now! Last week sexual wellness company Lorals made the news after receiving FDA clearance for STI protection for its latex briefs, that are to replace the outdated dental dam during oral intercourse. We spoke to founder Melanie Cristol back in January 2021, when she was just starting her "FDA journey" and are thrilled we got to share this milestone last week.
And what's almost as exciting as the FDA clearance itself: The Lorals story made it into The New York Times! Huge win for destigmatization in our humble opinion!
➡️ In other news...
- Legacy raised a $25M Series A. Check out our Round-up of Male Fertility Startups for more.
- Pique raised $4M in seed funding for its solution at the intersection of sexual wellness and menopause. Other noteworthy startups in this space include Rosy & Lover.
Spotlight: Preeclampsia
As mentioned earlier maternal health had quite a week and a funding announcement that definitely stood out was Mirvie's, as the biotech company added $60M in Series A funding. Mirvie's RNA platform can predict preeclampsia and preterm birth months before they happen by revealing the underlying biology of each pregnancy.
But what even is preeclampsia? What are the symptoms and how is it usually diagnosed? You asked. We deliver. So today join us as we take a closer look at preeclampsia and the companies innovating in this space! 👇
➡️ What is Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia is a serious blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy. According to Cleveland Clinic, preeclampsia is a condition unique to pregnancy that complicates up to 8% of all deliveries worldwide. In the United States, it's the cause of about 15% of premature deliveries
➡️ What are the symptoms of Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia often causes high blood pressure and high levels of protein in the urine. The protein in the urine can be a sign of kidney dysfunction. Preeclampsia puts stress on the heart and other organs which can lead to serious complications. It can also affect the blood supply to the placenta, impair liver and kidney function or cause fluid to build up in the lungs. The condition can be dangerous for both mother and baby.
➡️ How is Preeclampsia diagnosed?
First signs of preeclampsia may include high blood pressure, protein in the urine and retaining water, although many do not show signs of preeclampsia at all, which makes it difficult to diagnose. Severe preeclampsia may include symptoms like severe hypertension, decreases kidney or liver function or fluid in the lungs. Preeclampsia is often diagnosed during routine prenatal appointments when the healthcare provider checks your weight gain, blood pressure and urine.➡️ How is Preeclampsia treated?
Treatment generally depends on the stage of pregnancy and how severe the preeclampsia symptoms are. If the pregnancy is close to full term, the baby may be delivered early. If preeclampsia develops earlier, the condition will be monitored closely in an effort to prolong pregnancy and allow for the fetus to grow and develop. There is no cure for preeclampsia as of today. The condition usually goes away with delivery.
➡️ What companies are innovating in this space?
Mirvie uses a simple blood test to reveal vital information about a pregnancy’s unique biology and detect complications months before they occur.
NX Prenatal is developing early warning blood tests for pregnant moms to assess the risk for preterm birth and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Sera Prognostics assesses individualized risk of spontaneous premature birth and other pregnancy complications.
Delfina uses proprietary predictive models to help care teams proactively identify pregnancy risks and intervene to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Startup Spotlight
Wanna know which startups get us excited these days? Below are a few of our recent (femtech-healthtech-ish) discoveries. This week we want to share some *VERY* early stage-ish new companies we've seen that make us go "Oh. Well that's interesting!" 👀
Cycla is a "new platform for cycle health discussions & solutions, uncensored".
Rythm is building a new sexual wellness platform: "Tuning in to all things pleasure, connection and pain management for humans with vulvas"
Vitelle is a peri/menopause app: "Improve your wellbeing and longevity through science-backed daily habits."
