Lundbeckfonden BioCapital and +ND Capital join forces: New investment in novel hormone-free fertility treatment for women
From left: Klaus Dugi (+ND), Karin Lykke-Hartmann (Notify), Jacob Falck Hansen (Lundbeckfonden BioCapital). Fotographer: Thomas Tolstrup.
Lundbeckfonden BioCapital and +ND Capital have invested 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.
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.
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 and Klaus Dugi 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.
(Photo: Thomas Tolstrup)
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.
Lundbeckfonden BioCapital is a leading Danish biotech investor and currently has investments of over DKK 2 billion in 19 Danish and international companies, planning to double the number of Danish companies in the portfolio by 2030. Lundbeckfonden BioCapital focuses its new investments primarily on Danish-based biotech companies and the local ecosystem with the purpose of bringing discoveries to the benefit of patients worldwide.
+ND Capital is a venture capital firm founded in 2002 that invests in disruptive technologies across the life, physical, and data sciences. With close to USD 1 billion under management, it invests in the United States and Europe, through teams in Silicon Valley and Switzerland, helping portfolio companies bridge the Atlantic to attract capital, talent, and business partners.
Notify Therapeutics is a pioneering biotechnology company dedicated to developing innovative solutions to challenges in infertility, offering a novel approach to fertility treatment targeting the hormone-independent phase of ovarian follicle development.
Focusing on the early development of ovarian follicles to help infertile women, who do not benefit from today's standard hormone therapy, Notify is developing a first-in-class drug that induces factors that regulate the intracellular NRF2 pathway; a major driver of follicle activation and a signalling pathway that promotes survival and growth in response to extracellular signals.
With a focus on efficiency, safety, and patient well-being, Notify is committed to transforming the lives of people struggling with infertility.
The Lundbeck Foundation is an enterprise foundation encompassing a comprehensive range of enterprise and philanthropic activities – all united by its strong purpose; Bringing Discoveries to Lives. The Foundation is the long-term and engaged owner of several international healthcare companies – Lundbeck, Falck, ALK and Ferrosan Medical Devices – and an active investor in business, science, and people through its commercial investments in the financial markets; in biotech companies based on Danish research and through philanthropic grants to science talents and programmes in Danish universities. The Foundation’s philanthropic grants amount to more than DKK 500m annually primarily focusing on the brain – including the world’s largest personal prize for neuroscience: The Brain Prize.
