AblaCare Secures €10M Series A Funding to Advance Minimally Invasive Ablation Therapy for Infertility

On July 10, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned that AblaCare, a company focused on infertility treatment, announced the completion of a €10 million Series A financing round. Led by Sofinnova Partners, the funding will be used to continue developing innovative infertility treatments and to advance AblaCare’s clinical regulatory programs in Europe and the United States.

Concurrently with the financing, the company announced the appointment of Jodie Fam as Chief Executive Officer, and Andrew Weiss, President and CEO of ReCor Medical, was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of AblaCare.

Jodie has worked in the medical device industry for over 20 years, providing early-stage medical device product development and commercialization expertise to numerous medtech companies and startups. She has been dedicated to bringing early-stage, paradigm-shifting medical technologies to market in highly competitive environments.

Jodie has held senior management positions at Concentric Medical (acquired by Stryker), Medina Medical (acquired by Medtronic), Route 92 Medical, CardioKinetix, Johnson & Johnson, Guidant Corporation, and Mallinckrodt Medical.

AblaCare was founded in September 2017, with its headquarters located in Paris, France. AblaCare has developed an innovative solution for infertility associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), aiming to provide patients with a more natural and less medicalized pregnancy experience. This therapeutic approach can restore ovulation in PCOS patients through a simple, one-time, durable, and minimally invasive procedure.

AblaCare’s treatment protocol is a minimally invasive procedure known as “Ovarian Rebalancing,” which employs ablation therapy to help women with infertility associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) restore ovulation. The AblaCare procedure is performed transvaginally under ultrasound guidance and does not require general anesthesia. This technique can be administered in a clinical setting using the same minimally invasive access route commonly employed by fertility specialists for IVF.

This new technology transforms an old, invasive surgical procedure known as "ovarian drilling" into a simpler, minimally invasive, office-based procedure. Ablation of ovarian tissue can eliminate the tissue in the ovaries that produces excessive androgens. Following this surgical treatment, up to 75% of women experience spontaneous ovulation within six months, and up to 55% achieve pregnancy within the same timeframe, including one case of natural conception.

“We are delighted to serve as a Series A investor in AblaCare, as we believe the company is well-positioned to address critical challenges in infertility,” said Antoine Papiernik, Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners. “Furthermore, we are pleased that Jodie will be leading the AblaCare team; she has played a pivotal role in bringing advanced medical technologies to market in highly competitive environments.”

“Up to 15% of women are diagnosed with PCOS, and half of these patients face infertility. This condition is caused by excessive production of androgens, which prevents the development and release of mature eggs. Current treatment options are both complex and expensive, while AblaCare addresses the key issue of infertility associated with this condition, enabling patients with polycystic ovary syndrome to ovulate naturally without the use of fertility drugs or hormones,” said Fam, CEO of AblaCare.

Sofinnova Partners is a venture capital firm based in Paris, France. Established in 1972, the firm is dedicated to investing in companies within the biopharmaceutical, medical device, and industrial biotechnology sectors. With a primary focus on the European market, it has invested in 500 companies at various stages of development and currently manages $1.1 billion in assets.

(Compiled by Cheng Tao)