SBIR Phase I: Development of an ovulation biosensor

The objective of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to create a wearable sensor that monitors ovulation hormones to aid conception. The end product will make fertility tracking and treatment more convenient, accessible and affordable to the 7.5 million American couples currently struggling to grow their families. Patients undergoing infertility treatments typically have to visit a fertility clinic 3-8 times during a single ovulation cycle to assess circulating reproductive hormone levels in the blood. These frequent clinic visits create high costs and a burden, decreasing overall access to infertility care. This project will develop an affordable, accurate, at-home fertility-monitoring solution. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes research towards the development of a low-cost ovulation monitoring wearable to accurately track reproductive hormones during the menstrual cycle. The proposed low-cost, wearable device will capture hormone peaks in real time. This project will demonstrate that the proposed technology can continuously monitor reproductive hormones and that the data generated of equivalent quality and accuracy compared to standard blood draws. Furthermore, the proposed research will validate the device’s ability to function over multiple days. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.