Park Perspective event shines a light on women’s health

Milton Park welcomed life science innovators and researchers to its latest Park Perspective event “Shining a Light on Women’s Health” where guests heard how new technologies are helping unlock one of the least understood organs in the human body – the uterus.

The session featured Kate Rowley, CEO of Verso Biosense, a Milton Park-based femtech company developing a pioneering smart intrauterine device (IUD) designed to monitor conditions inside the uterus and generate new data to advance women’s health research.

Despite affecting billions of women globally, many areas of women’s health remain under-researched and under-invested. As Rowley explained, treatments are often based on limited evidence and “hope for the best” approaches due to a lack of real-world data.

“Women’s health has historically been treated as a niche area without significant return on investment but the needs of millions of women worldwide remain unmet,” Rowley told the audience. “Our mission is to shine a light on the uterine environment so we can better understand it and ultimately improve outcomes for women.”

Turning the uterus from a “black box” into a data source

Verso Biosense is tackling the challenge with a wireless, sensor-equipped IUD capable of continuously monitoring factors such as temperature and oxygen levels inside the uterus.

The device currently collects data for seven days and transmits it wirelessly for analysis, enabling researchers and clinicians to observe how the uterine environment changes over time.

By capturing this information, the technology aims to provide insights that could transform understanding of fertility, reproductive health and other conditions.

“The uterus is still something of a ‘black box’ in medicine,” said Rowley. “Continuous monitoring allows us to observe patterns we’ve never been able to see before, helping build the data sets needed to develop personalised treatments.”

Improving fertility outcomes

One of the most promising early applications is in fertility treatment.

Verso Biosense is currently exploring how the technology could help women who have experienced unsuccessful IVF cycles. By monitoring uterine conditions, researchers hope to identify the optimal environment for embryo development and improve the chances of successful implantation.

Scientific evidence already suggests factors such as temperature, oxygen levels and pH can influence embryo development, yet the precise conditions within the uterus have historically been difficult to measure directly.

In the future, similar monitoring could support research into conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), uterine cancer, perimenopause and menopause.

A growing global femtech opportunity

The work also reflects the rapid growth of the femtech sector, which is attracting increasing attention from pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

Industry forecasts suggest the global femtech market could grow from around $39 billion in 2024 to more than $97 billion by 2030, highlighting the scale of opportunity for innovation in women’s health technologies.

However, Rowley emphasised that progress will depend on building robust long-term datasets.

“To truly understand the uterus we need longitudinal data – potentially tracking biomarkers over months or even years. That pushes the boundaries of engineering, especially when you’re working with tiny devices and limited battery capacity.”

Supporting innovation at Milton Park

Verso Biosense is among a thriving community of 280 life science and technology companies based at Milton Park, which is the UK’s largest single ownership innovation community.

Philip Campbell, Commercial Director of Milton Park at Federated Hermes Real Estate, said the event highlighted the importance of collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs and investors: “Milton Park is home to a vibrant community of life science innovators working at the forefront of research and technology.

“Companies such as Verso Biosense demonstrate how bold thinking and scientific collaboration can lead to breakthroughs that have the potential to improve lives around the world. Events such as Park Perspective help bring people together to share ideas and accelerate discovery.”

As women’s health continues to gain momentum globally, technologies such as Verso Biosense’s smart IUD could help close longstanding knowledge gaps and open new possibilities for personalised care.