Molecular Biometrics, Inc.
Headquartered in Norwood, MA with research and development facilities in New Haven, CT, Molecular Biometrics is applying novel metabolomic technologies to develop accurate, non-invasive clinical tools for use in personalized medicine to evaluate normal biologic function in health and in disease, and for drug discovery and development. The company’s proprietary technology is being applied in reproductive health, IVF and neurodegenerative disease (e.g., Parkinson’s disease). www.molecularbiometrics.com
Investment Thesis — Infertility affects more than 5 million couples in the U.S. annually. Infertile couples typically spend $10K to15K per in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, with an average of three cycles needed to achieve a successful pregnancy. To offset low pregnancy success rates, couples often request multiple embryos to increase their chances, resulting in multiple birth pregnancies for one-third of couples. Molecular Biometrics can improve the likelihood of selecting a viable embryo, increasing the success rate within IVF and reducing the number of needed cycles for couples. The patented technology can also be applied to other areas of reproductive medicine, and neurodegenerative and other diseases.
Market Opportunity — More than $10B is spent annually worldwide on IVF, including $4B in the U.S. The 420 IVF centers in the U.S. compete primarily on pregnancy success rates. Embryologists often adopt new technologies to gain a competitive advantage. The ViaMetrics-E test is projected to achieve sales ranging from $150M to 300M.
Award — Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Award (2010).
Safeguard Board Member — James A. Datin
Financial Summary — Safeguard deployed $10M in Molecular Biometrics and has a 35% primary ownership position. Co-investors includes Atlas Ventures and Oxford Bioscience Partners.
Initial Investment — September 2008
Sector — Life Sciences, Molecular and Point-of-Care Diagnostics
