We often talk about the need to innovate birth control and every once in a while we come across a company, that’s doing some really exciting work in this space, just like Novalina Medical, who are reinventing tubal ligation.
But what is tubal ligation anyways?
Tubal ligation — also known as having your tubes tied or tubal sterilization — is a type of permanent birth control. During tubal ligation, the fallopian tubes are cut, tied or blocked to permanently prevent pregnancy. Tubal ligation prevents an egg from traveling from the ovaries through the fallopian tubes and blocks sperm from traveling up the fallopian tubes to the egg. Most tubal ligation procedures cannot be reversed. If reversal is attempted, it requires major surgery and isn’t always effective.
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/tubal-ligation/about/pac-20388360
We spoke to Helena Grindberg about Novalina Medical, their solution and also their current fundraising plans.
Helena, can you tell us a little more about yourself and Novalina Medical?
Sure! I am the founder & CEO of Novalina Medical. I have a PhD in Molecular Medicine MBA, both from leading Universities in Israel. I bring over 15 years’ of experience in leading roles at biotech companies in a variety of fields and applications, with a strong expertise in clinical development. We founded Novalina Medical to make a safe and reversible contraceptive device for women. Novalina’s device was developed based on a proprietary technology invented by leading scientists and physicians in Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Our product replaces tubal ligation/occlusion surgical procedures, the most common method of contraception worldwide.
Almost 200 million couples worldwide undergo surgical sterilization. And around 700,000 bilateral tubal sterilizations are performed every year in the United States alone. Our goal is to create a safe, simple, reversible, non-surgical and non-hormonal contraceptive device for women, which is a huge global need.
How long has the company been around and what was the process of developing this solution like?
The technology was invented in the laboratory of Prof. Cohen in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prof. Cohen’s laboratory is focused on the design, synthesis and characterization of polymeric biomaterials and the engineering of implantable medical devices. His laboratory is internationally recognized as a leading group in various areas, such as biodegradable polymers, in situ generated biomedical systems and in the “Smart” polymers field, with many articles and patents in these areas. Novalina was founded in the beginning of 2020 after a successful completion of a proof of concept animal study.
How does your solution compare to tubal ligation as it is performed today?
Current tubal ligation methods require surgical procedure and are practically irreversible. A set of unique specifications of our technology allowed us to develop an alternative solution that meets all market and clinical needs:
- Non-surgical procedure
- No anesthesia required
- Non-hormonal
- Does not cause any anatomical changes
- Does not induce any inflammatory reaction
- Long term
- Reversible upon demand
What stage is your company in? Are you currently fundraising?
Yes, we are currently raising a round of funding to achieve the next milestone, a First in Women Clinical Study.
