Cambridge Temperature Concepts Limited (CTC) has secured £375,000 in private investment to aid product development of its novel ovulation detector – DuoFertility.
The investment is syndicated between the Cambridge Angels, Cambridge Capital Group and members of the Downing Enterprise board.
Founded in 2005 by four post-graduate students at the University of Cambridge, CTC is now based in new premises at Cambridge Science Park and plans to complete its development programme over the next four months, with trials beginning in Q2 2008.
The first product release of DuoFertility is scheduled for Q3 2008.
One in seven British couples now face problems conceiving, so maximising the chances of natural conception by identifying precisely when ovulation occurs is critical.
Ovulation detectors currently available on the market require women to either take a daily urine sample to identify hormonal changes or wake up very early every morning and manually measure and record their body temperature to identify the half-degree change associated with ovulation.
CTC’s patent-pending Duo-Fertility technology continuously measures the most accurate domestic indicator of ovulation – the half-degree change in a woman’s body temperature – to digitally pinpoint this optimum time for conception and thereby assist couples to achieve pregnancy.
Dr Oriane Chausiaux, chief scientific officer for CTC, explained: “DuoFertility is an extremely precise medical thermometer, embedded in a small stick-on patch that can be worn discreetly under the arm.
“Unlike currently available ovulation detectors that require daily manual readings at set times, DuoFertility automatically collects temperature data every few seconds and a compact digital hand-held reader shows the results whenever desired.
“We believe DuoFertility will make a dramatic improvement to many couples’ quality of life, increasing their chances of conception by providing a more convenient, accurate and reliable way to identify when ovulation occurs.”
Dr Jonathan Milner, principal investor for the Cambridge Angels said: “CTC is a dynamic team, developing an innovative new technology with multiple market opportunities.
“We are thrilled to be the lead investors in this seed-funding round and confident that the company will prove to be a great addition to the Cambridge Angels’ portfolio.”
And Dr Shamus Husheer, CEO of CTC said: “This £375,000 in funding will be used to finalise our product development programme and address the growing market in ovulation detection.
“In addition to the funding, CTC’s syndicate of private investors provides us with valuable access to experience in taking new technologies to market and we are delighted to announce this important step towards helping couples build families.”
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