In case you are planning for a child, or simply welcomed a brand new addition to the household, the innovation sector is working arduous to assist make being pregnant and new toddler care safer and a bit simpler. 

Israeli corporations are behind among the pioneering maternal well being tech options that may stop preterm births, enhance the success price of IVF, supply breastmilk diagnostics and allow pregnant girls to carry out at-home ultrasound scans.

“There’s a big market in expertise relating to being pregnant and observe up,” says Dr. David Shashar, CEO of PregnanTech, an organization growing a wise machine for stopping untimely delivery. “Massive corporations haven’t been oriented to this self-discipline however it’s my perception that that is going to vary considerably, each relating to being pregnant and ladies’s well being altogether.

“Obstetrics and gynecology are going to incorporate an enormous variety of applied sciences within the subsequent decade or couple of a long time,” he tells NoCamels.

NoCamels surveyed the Israeli maternal well being tech and new child tech scene to see what’s within the pipeline and what units are already available on the market.

PregnanTech

PregnanTech is growing an revolutionary product to cut back the load and strain on the cervix, keep away from cervical dilatation and shortening regardless of contractions and delay the biomechanical cascade resulting in preterm delivery.

Known as Lioness, this silicone ring is positioned excessive on the cervix throughout a easy, nonsurgical process aided by software instruments and retains the cervix elongated and closed, even within the presence of contractions. The machine is eliminated at time period.

Yearly, about 15 million preterm infants are born worldwide, or “one in 10 pregnancies is a preterm delivery,” says Dr. Shashar.

About a million of those newborns don’t survive, he says, and a few who do survive undergo from disabilities which have a major impact on their high quality of life and on their households.

“The speed of preterm delivery has not modified for many years and we imagine that we’ve got a tool which goes to make an enormous change. It’s a game-changer in obstetrics. It can cut back the numbers and the charges of preterm delivery worldwide,” Shashar tells NoCamels.

“There aren’t any profitable options right now and the well being methods are determined for it. Main docs in Israel and around the globe see our product as a breakthrough,” says Shashar, noting that between 9 p.c and 17 p.c of all pregnancies are prone to untimely delivery.  

Nuvo

Nuvo has a fetal and maternal monitoring resolution that pregnant girls put on like a belt. The FDA-cleared machine, referred to as INVU, measures fetal ‎actions, fetal coronary heart price, and maternal coronary heart price utilizing central and acoustic sensors.

This month, the Tel Aviv maternal-fetal health company filed a 510(okay) discover with the FDA so as to add a brand new uterine exercise module that gives for distant monitoring of maternal uterine exercise.

“I’m pleased with the accomplishments Nuvo achieved in 2020, together with the FDA clearance of the INVU platform for distant monitoring of fetal and maternal coronary heart charges,” said Oren Oz, founder and CEO of Nuvo Group.

“We’re excited to broaden our providing to incorporate distant monitoring of maternal uterine exercise, which is able to present expectant moms and their healthcare suppliers with extra complete knowledge on maternal and fetal well being. This supplemental FDA clearance will mark a key milestone in Nuvo’s journey to reinvent and advance being pregnant look after the twenty first century,” he added.

Earlier in January, Nuvo introduced a commercial agreement with its first US companion, the Axia Ladies’s Well being, a community of greater than 400 suppliers and 150 girls’s well being facilities throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Suppliers will have the ability to prescribe INVU to expectant moms for distant fetal coronary heart price monitoring.

In August, Nuvo was named among five Israeli firms on the Digital Health 150, a listing printed by New York-based analysis agency CB Insights that includes the 150 most promising personal digital well being corporations on the earth.

Embryonics

Israel-based startup Embryonics is utilizing synthetic intelligence to extend the success price of fertility therapies. 

“We aren’t attempting to imitate the human knowledgeable, we’re introducing a brand new stage of accuracy,” stated Dr. Yael Zamir, Embryonics CEO, in an announcement.

Embryonics not too long ago reported six profitable IVF pregnancies utilizing the AI expertise to pick out which embryo to implant in a affected person. Often, it’s the job of an embryologist, a fertility specialist, to resolve which embryo to make use of in IVF remedy. 

The startup says its expertise, referred to as Ubar (fetus in Hebrew), outperformed a panel of embryologists in predicting which embryos will lead to being pregnant by about 20 p.c, in response to the corporate. The Israeli AI startup additionally outperformed human consultants by almost 30 p.c in recommending which embryos to not use.

Embryonics has an ongoing medical examine on the Nadiya Clinic of Reproductive Drugs in Kyiv. The six reported pregnancies are a part of this examine and 5 different members now awaiting take a look at outcomes. 

The tech may serve to mitigate prices. The common full value of an IVF child in the US is $66,000, says Embryonics.

The expertise was developed primarily based on an information set from tens of 1000’s of IVF cycles, together with time-lapse movies of embryos. The tech was presented in a peer-reviewed examine on the Medical Imaging with Deep Studying convention in Montreal in July final 12 months.

Embryonics says it’s the first firm to make use of geometric deep studying in a medical setting. Along with embryo choice, the corporate is utilizing this machine studying tech to create personalised hormonal therapies for IVF sufferers and an answer to suggest which eggs to protect.

“All this collectively, primarily based on our calculations, will enhance the general success price of an IVF course of by a median of 10 p.c, which is lots of – what we name – AI infants, some huge cash and lengthy intervals of time,” Zamir stated.

Embryonics is planning to run a medical trial at a number of websites in the US and expects to get approval from the FDA by the tip of 2021.

PulseNmore

PulseNmore has developed a handheld tele-ultrasound device that enables anticipating mother and father to carry out at-home scans. Particularly throughout COVID-19 occasions, this machine limits the necessity for hospital visits and reduces pointless emergency room visits. 

The PulseNmore machine docks with the person’s smartphone, shows the photographs on the display screen and sends them to a physician or sonographer for evaluation. 

“The coronavirus pandemic has dropped at mild the necessity for telemedicine units and telemedicine choices, which are actually changing face-to-face physician visits extra broadly,” Jordan Rubinson, Chief Business Officer of PulseNmore, advised NoCamels final 12 months shortly after the pandemic started. 

Based in 2015, PulseNmore has an settlement with Clalit Health Services, which has 4.6 million insured members, to supply tens of 1000’s of its pregnant members with the corporate’s product.

“At dwelling tele-ultrasound scanning is a significant leap ahead in digital medication and prenatal well being,” said Dr. Elazar Sonnenschein, founder and CEO of PulseNmore. “Now we have efficiently miniaturized the normal ultrasound system to create an answer that’s each reasonably priced and accessible for expectant households. 

“In response to Clalit, pregnant girls pay ‘false’ visits to the emergency room greater than twice on common with issues about their child’s well-being. Our resolution supplies very important info to healthcare suppliers to find out if a child is wholesome, serving to expectant moms have peace of thoughts at dwelling and keep away from pointless visits to the ER,” he added. 

HeraMED

HeraMEd is a Netanya-based firm based in 2011 that developed plenty of options for pregnany care at dwelling. The {hardware} options are supported by software program purposes centered on fetal well-being and parental assurance.

HeraMED’s smartphone-based child heartbeat monitor for dwelling use, HeraBEAT, is being utilized in a medical examine with the Mayo Clinic to guage the impression of the Israeli medtech’s machine on the notion of fetal wellbeing felt by expectant moms. 

HeraBEAT accomplished an earlier trial in Western Australia on the Joondalup Well being Campus.

“The approval to start a medical examine with a world-leading healthcare supplier, akin to Mayo Clinic, is a major milestone for HeraMED. Mayo Clinic represents a extremely related collaborator for HeraMED as a result of they’re nicely famend as main researchers in advancing prenatal care fashions,” said HeraMED CEO and co-founder David Groberman. “This trial is predicted to be a precursor to the broader HeraCARE pilot.”

The corporate is now engaged on two merchandise, EchoBEAT, a tool that features a Fetal Motion Detection (FMD), and ORION, an AI-powered being pregnant monitoring system developed in cooperation with the Mayo Clinic to detect precursors that may point out doable being pregnant problems earlier than they grow to be an issue.

MyMilk Labs

Breastfeeding could be a fantastic, bond-building, intimate expertise. It will also be painful, annoying, and nerve-wracking, particularly within the first few weeks and months post-birth. Typically, it may be all of these issues mixed.

Nursing moms could also be plagued with questions akin to “Am I producing sufficient milk? How can I inform if the infant is consuming sufficient?”

MyMilk Labs, an Israeli startup primarily based in Herzliya, sought to assist reply a few of these questions and assuage mother and father by growing a milk sensing machine that may observe breastfeeding and stop low milk provide.

The machine, referred to as MyLee, works by analyzing a small pattern of breast milk, about six drops, for electrochemichal properties. MyMilk then processes the pattern to generate personalised insights about breastfeeding institution and milk provide progress, ranging from the primary days post-birth. The data additionally contains the identification of early indicators of breast irritation, which might happen when breastfeeding. These data-powered options supply much-needed help for moms post-partum and assist inform quick and long run breastfeeding success. 

Dad and mom can obtain the MyLee App on the AppStore and might order the machine (restricted beta) by way of MyMilk’s web site.

MyMilk Labs was based in 2014 by Dr. Ravid Schecter and Dr. Sharon Haramati, each moms, scientists and researchers who met whereas engaged on their respective PhDs on the Weizmann Institute of Science.

MyMilk, along with its medical laboratory companion AML, additionally affords lab-based testing for complete dietary composition for breastmilk vitamins together with fats, protein, energy, and a set of nutritional vitamins, and a take a look at for breastfeeding ache diagnostics together with bacterial and fungal an infection, and antibiotic sensitivity.

The corporate is now engaged on including capabilities to the app and machine extending past breastfeeding institution to the complete breastfeeding journey.

MilkStrip

MilkStrip is an Israeli biotech and wellness startup based in 2017 that developed at-home diagnostic kits for breast milk. MilkStrip says it will possibly detect vitamin C ranges in breastmilk and ensure whether or not or not saved milk has expired. The kits and corresponding app can present outcomes concerning the dietary profile and diploma of breast milk freshness in about three minutes, the corporate says.

“Dad and mom wish to be empowered to know extra concerning the vitamins within the breast milk they feed their infants,” stated Dr. Avital Beck, CEO and co-founder of MilkStrip, mom of six, and a biotech scientist.

“Whereas the general advantage of feeding infants breast milk has been nicely established for years and can all the time be the optimum alternative in contrast with any formulation available on the market, MilkStrip is the primary innovator within the baby-tech business to ship breast milk take a look at ends in real-time and at-home precisely when mother and father want solutions,” stated Beck.

The corporate says that greater than 60 p.c of girls throw out saved breast milk, which is normally nonetheless recent for consumption, as a result of they’re not sure whether it is nonetheless good.

“Trendy moms are empowered with a number of basic data at their fingertips, however in the case of science and child well being there are nonetheless many unanswered questions. The purpose of our diagnostic kits is to carry resolution help to moms in a time of nice uncertainty,” stated Dr. Hadas-Shatz-Azouly, COO, VP R&D and co-founder of MilkStrip and mom of 5.

“We assist them guarantee their kids are getting optimum sustenance and vitamin even throughout a pandemic.”

MilkStrip says it plans to roll out further diagnostic kits in 2021.

Bio Milk

Bio Milk, an Israeli firm with patents for the manufacturing of cultured milk from animals inside laboratory circumstances, is now setting its sights on producing cultured breast milk.

SEE ALSO: Lab-Cultured Breast Milk: Israeli Startup Races To Do It First

“The easiest way to make breast milk accessible is thru the manufacturing of breast milk exterior the mom,” Dr. Nurit Argov-Argaman from the Division of Animal Sciences at Hebrew College of Jerusalem, stated in a function printed in NoCamels in December. 

“At Bio Milk, we use the identical tissue and attempt to develop the cells within the lab in order that we proceed to develop and produce milk like a breastfeeding mom,” she stated.

The corporate is now growing a course of that may enable the manufacturing of cultured human breast milk.

Pika Diapers

Tel Aviv-based Pika is growing a diaper machine to make it simpler for folks to forgo disposable diapers and use fabric ones as an alternative. Based in 2019, Pika says it’s trying to make the planet “a greater place for our kids” by “growing merchandise with the aim to finish using plastic.”

Disposable diapers are handy, however are main pollution – within the US, some 4.1 million tons of disposable diapers have been generated in 2018 alone, according to the EPA, over 3.3 million tons of which ended up in landfills.

“After I turned a father it was a giant shock the quantity of waste I contributed to our world with disposable diapers,” Alon Cohen, Pika co-founder and CEO, tells NoCamels by way of e-mail. “We began to use fabric diapers and my spouse advised me that it is extremely good however she received’t clear all this poo.”

From that second, he says, the hunt was on for a “full diaper resolution that shall be straightforward, reasonably priced, and higher for our surroundings.”

Pika’s compact machine, at 40 x 40 x 72 cm, can clear and dry as much as 10 dirty fabric diapers at a time in about 1-2 hours with distinctive cleansing tablets, the startup says. The machine additionally has built-in sensors that may present dietary evaluation to customers.

The corporate’s first mannequin launched in Israel not too long ago.

Pika was additionally one of many high 10 finalists within the Startup World Cup Israel occasion, held final month. 

Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. She writes and talks concerning the creativity and innovation happening in Israel and past.  www.vivaspress.com