3Daughters wants to replace the traditional T-shaped IUD with its own IUD made of three, tiny elliptical units with a magnetic core that is covered in polymer and then coated in copper.
3Daughters
By Hannah Green - Inno Reporter
October 25, 2022, 11:00am EDT
A new startup is aiming to use a new technology—first developed for use in horses—to create a more painless intrauterine device.
IUDs are one of the most effective forms of birth control, but the insertion and removal process can be painful. 3Daughters wants to replace the outdated, T-shaped IUDs with its new magnetic, frameless IUD. This month, the startup closed an early-stage round of just over $1 million to push its work forward.
Typically to insert an IUD, a doctor starts by using a sounder, a rod with measurement markers on it, to find the top of the uterus. This is where the T-shaped device must be placed. 3Daughters co-founder Mary Beth Cicero said the sounder and the IUD hitting the top of the uterus is often one of the worst pain points in this process.
3Daughters’ IUD is made of three, tiny elliptical units with a magnetic core that is covered in polymer and then coated in copper, said co-founder Shelley Amster. The three units are fed single file through an inserter into the uterus where they form a triangle shape. The IUD floats in the lower quadrant of the uterus. A magnetic retriever is used for removal. This eliminates the need to use a sounder and push on the top of the uterus, Amster said.
This new IUD technology was invented by Carlos Gradil, a veterinarian and professor of veterinary and animal science at UMass Amherst. Gradil first created this IUD for use in horses.
“He had really tested it, proven the safety and efficacy in horses, and has published on it,” Cicero said. “And he didn’t really understand the human market. And that’s where Shelley came in.”
Amster is one of the founding board members of the Mansfield Bio-Incubator and an original organizer of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Innovation (MALSI) Day. Amster said she came in with a diligence team to vet Gradil’s work and determine if it could be translated to human use. She brought in Cicero, a pharma executive with experience in business development marketing, and the pair approached Gradil about commercializing the technology in humans.
“Mary Beth and I basically told UMass and Carlos that if we could get some translation grants to prove…and develop a prototype, we would license the technology and form a corporation,” Amster said.
That was about a year ago. With six grants now under their belt, the co-founders spent the last year developing prototypes of the IUD and the glider for insertion and retrieval and meeting with the FDA to map out the clinical path forward.
The co-founders have also brought on board a team of advisors, including Dr. David Archer, director of clinical research for the Contraceptive Research and Development Program; Dr. Mary Lake Polan, professor and Ob/Gyn Yale University School of Medicine; and Dr. Tara Kumaraswami, director of the Ob/Gyn residency program at UMass Medical School.
“We have people that are key opinion leaders of key opinion leaders,” Amster said.
Amster said they were able to land these advisers because she and Cicero have been working in the field of women’s health innovation for decades. Amster and Cicero said they considered starting 3Daughters a full circle moment in their careers. Amster started working in a preterm clinic working in infertility. Cicero headed up U.S. marketing at Serono when the company focused on infertility before starting her own consulting practice and working with many women’s health companies.
Cicero said the company plans to use its new capital to finalize the prototype design, transfer it to manufacturing, and begin preclinical work. They also plan to file new IP under the 3Daughters name. The U.S. and European patents for the technology are licensed from UMass Amherst, Cicero said.
Their goal is to file an IND by the end of next year. The startup also expects to raise a $10 million round next year to propel it through its Phase 1 feasibility study in 2024. After that, Cicero said 3Daughters would look for a commercialization partner to help them break into this industry.