Lundbeckfonden BioCapital and +ND Capital join forces: New investment in novel hormone-free fertility treatment for women

Lundbeckfonden BioCapital and +ND Capital join forces: 
New investment in novel hormone-free fertility treatment for women

Lundbeckfonden BioCapital and +ND Capital have invested EUR 5m in the Danish biotech company Notify Therapeutics which emerged from Professor Karin Lykke-Hartmann’s research into female infertility. It is an area with a lack of innovation despite increasing patient needs. The aim is to develop a hormone-free fertility treatment.

The two investors are already partners on the Danish biotech scene, and this new investment underlines Lundbeckfonden BioCapital’s longstanding commitment to Danish science and the local biotech ecosystem.

‘Notify and Karin Lykke-Hartmann stand for top-quality research in an area with a large unmet need. More than one in ten couples seek help to have children. Unfortunately, many are unsuccessful despite today’s treatment options. The investment also entails an active operational and strategic commitment on our part. We will work with the Notify team to develop a treatment that can bring new hope to families.’ says Jacob Falck Hansen, Partner in Lundbeckfonden BioCapital.

Notify Therapeutics is working on a non-hormonal fertility treatment for women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR).

Co-investor venture capital company +ND Capital is also looking forward to the collaboration: 'Reduced ovarian function and subsequent infertility is one of the earliest conditions associated with ageing. At +ND Capital we would be delighted to help women build families and to enjoy life to the fullest', says Klaus Dugi, Venture Partner in +ND Capital and Chairman at Notify.

With the investment, Jacob Falck Hansen, Lundbeckfonden BioCapital and Klaus Dugi, +ND Capital join Notify's board.

Capital injection in neglected area
Karin Lykke-Hartmann is Professor of Reproductive Medicine at Aarhus University and the founder and CEO of Notify Therapeutics. She welcomes the new capital injection of EUR 5m.

‘We are delighted to have two new strong partners on board who can help accelerate our research into a new hormone-free fertility treatment, which might help women who don’t have the wanted effect of current hormonal treatments. At the same time, we want to thank Aarhus University and BioInnovation Institute for their vital support to help bringing us this far in the development of our new treatment concept’ Karin Lykke-Hartmann explains.

Hope in the face of a global challenge
It is estimated that more than 25 million people in Europe are affected by infertility. Around one in six couples of reproductive age have trouble conceiving.

In the US, more than 10% of women aged 15-49 seek fertility treatment at some point, around 30% of whom have DOR.

Women with DOR usually opt for a donor egg or adoption because IVF based on hormone therapy rarely works for them. However, hopes are high for a new treatment option.

‘Our genetic studies have identified a previously unknown role played by the NRF2 protein in the maturation process of eggs in the ovaries. In early experiments, we activated NRF2 in mice and in ovarian tissue from women with DOR, which stimulated egg maturation. In the rodent study, this significantly increased the number of successful pregnancies. We know that the number of mature eggs determines the success rate of fertility treatment, and we hope to develop a treatment that can improve - or even replace - standard hormone treatment and thereby increase chances of conceiving. This new seed investment gives us the necessary resources to pick the best suited molecule that can then enter clinical phases,’ explains Lykke-Hartmann.