Fertility
Virtual fertility clinic aims to challenge treatment experience
The world’s first virtual fertility clinic uses AI to maximise the chances of conception
FemTech World meets Caroline Noublanche, co-founder and CEO of Apricity, the virtual clinic on a mission to change fertility care.
Few people know that the world’s first baby to be conceived via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) was born in Manchester in 1978. Since then, IVF success rates have grown from 10 per cent to 50 per cent, according to a report from 2018.
Although the modern use of ultrasound imaging to harvest the eggs under a mild sedation has advanced the procedure, the complexity of the treatment has not changed a lot, says Caroline Noublanche.
“When you can’t conceive, you have to actually give up on the idea that the baby will be born naturally,” the CEO tells me.
“Even though IVF has existed for 40 years, it’s still a very painful process, organised around the constraints of the clinic and the doctor and emotionally, it’s a roller coaster of emotions. On average couples need three cycles, but in some cases they might need more or they might not succeed at all. So, IVF remains uncertain.”
Along with her co-founder, Andrew Berkley, Noublanche came up with the idea of reinventing fertility treatments, and launched Apricity in 2018. “Instead of having to go to a clinic 10 times on average during treatment, we wanted to arrange everything from the comfort of your home,” the CEO explains. “That includes video consultations, but also blood tests, scans, sperm analysis and drug delivery.
“The patients would only have to go to the clinic for two procedures: the collection and the embryo transfer. We also wanted to make the whole process a lot more digital so that the patients can have access to a fertility advisor who can answer their questions, arrange appointments and make sure that when they are short of drugs, they can get a top-up in time,” the co-founder continues.
“We also have a dedicated care team who supervise patients’ treatment and help with early diagnostic. Our two objectives [using the platform] are to deliver the best experience possible for patients and to maximise the chances to conceive through a mix of protocol adherence, treatment efficiency as well as a mix of algorithms and data-driven decisions which are there to help our patients.”
In a virtual clinic, doctor-patient communication is key and with a rise in digital health technology during the pandemic, more and more people are open to remote consultations. “When you have to go to the clinic, it can be quite intense,” Noublanche points out.
“We very much believe that delivering the best experience from the comfort of your home, where your partner can be present as well, can make a huge difference. There are 30 per cent mistakes today in treatments in traditional clinics, because it’s a lot of word of mouth. During a video consultation, however, one of our nurses is able to support the patients, so that they know the exact dose they need, when they need it and subsequently, have a much better product regimen.”
Apricity found that their doctors, nurses and advisors’ relationship with their patients is very different from the one they have in a traditional clinic. Seeing the couple – not just the woman undergoing the treatment – can enable doctors to also observe the dynamic of the two.
“I think COVID has really changed the perception of people on digital health as a whole,” says Noublanche. “Virtually, you’re gaining on aspects such as convenience and doctor-patient quality of the relationship itself. The goal of all of the data [collected] is to make sure that you don’t get a treatment with a one-size-fits-all type of approach.
“We use the data to inform our decisions and to make sure that we better personalise treatment. The customisation also comes from the emotional support we offer and which is extremely important in terms of mental health.”
A fertility predictor is also able to tell patients what their chances to conceive are when following a certain type of treatment. The CEO says that: “We try to show our patients the glass half full because it’s a moment when they tend to be a bit more fragile, but [the predictor] also tells them black on white what their chances are.
“We are also transparent about the costs from the very beginning. What we don’t want is starting a treatment you would think would cost £4,000 and then find out that you have to pay another £1,000 for drugs or additional consolations. Yes, sometimes we lose and sometimes we gain, but we always want to be transparent. I think that’s very important.”
Caroline says the team have big plans for the future, focusing on the expansion of the company beyond the UK. “Our mission is to become the queen of Europe in fertility treatment,” she proudly tells me.
“We are planning to be present in Italy, Germany and in other European countries and continue to deliver the same quality of care and same attention to patients.”
She adds that: “At the moment we already outperform the national average of 61 per cent, so we have amazing success rates. We do everything with a data-driven approach and tech to provide efficiency. What we want is to continue to increase our success rates.
The CEO says that the feedback they receive is what keeps Apricity going and what motivates her, as an entrepreneur. “We often get pictures of new-born babies and that moves us a lot. Even from the people who don’t succeed, we get really amazing feedback on the support that we offer. Our one mission is to help patients live their life while creating one.”
For more information, visit apricity.life.
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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