Impli, the deep-tech company developing the first continuous molecular monitoring platform for hormonal health, has been awarded a £1.4 million grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme. The funding will advance BEAM (Bio-Endocrine Analysis Monitor), Impli’s minimally invasive microneedle biosensing patch, through clinical validation for use in in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
The award was made in partnership with a world-class consortium including the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Clinical Research Facility and Wolfson Fertility Centre, London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (LIHE) part of King’s College London, and patient advocacy network Fertility Europe, alongside specialist medical device manufacturer TTP.
The clinical challenge
Infertility affects one in six people worldwide. IVF is the most common form of assisted reproduction, yet success rates remain between 15–32%, and as low as 6% for women over 43, while each cycle demands up to 10 clinic visits for blood draws. Clinicians are making time-critical dosing and timing decisions based on hormone values that may be 24–48 hours old. Critical events such as LH surges that determine egg release, progesterone dips that cause implantation failure, early signs of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, are routinely missed by single-point tests, with real consequences for cycle outcomes and patient wellbeing.
The technology
BEAM is a biocompatible microneedle patch worn on the upper arm. Aptamer-based electrochemical biosensors continuously measure estradiol, LH, and progesterone in interstitial fluid, transmitting data wirelessly to a smartphone where AI algorithms convert raw signals into real-time hormone trends. BEAM is the wearable first step in Impli’s broader platform roadmap — the same biosensing foundation underpins the company’s longer-term vision for fully implantable, long-duration monitoring, beginning where clinical need is most acute and the regulatory path most accessible. By replacing up to 10 clinic visits with as few as 2, BEAM enables personalised, real-time protocol adjustment with the potential to meaningfully improve success rates and reduce preventable complications.
