BOSTON, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- PostEra, a biotechnology company specializing in artificial intelligence for small molecule drug discovery and reproductive endocrinology, today announced that EMD Serono, Inc., the Healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada, has acquired two of PostEra's programs directed at fertility indications.
Over the last 2 years PostEra has used its AI platform, Proton, to develop novel small molecule treatments in Women's Health and Fertility; large markets almost entirely dependent on injectable medications, with unmet needs around patient convenience that need to be addressed by today's biopharma industry.
Within Fertility, Proton was used to develop a series of novel Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (FSHR) agonists for ovarian stimulation in IVF. In parallel, PostEra also developed novel small molecule agonists of the Luteinizing Hormone/Choriogonadotropin Receptor (LHCGR) for male infertility and ovulation trigger in IVF. Standalone, the LHCGR agonist has shown the potential in preclinical studies to offer an oral alternative to injectable hCG regimens used for selected male infertility patients. A combination of the FSHR and the LHCGR agonists could potentially transform the current IVF protocol from injections to an all-oral regimen; a step-change in treatment for women undergoing IVF.
EMD Serono has acquired PostEra's FSHR and LHCGR agonist programs. Following completion of the transaction, EMD Serono will assume sole responsibility for the continued development and potential commercialization of the programs worldwide. Both programs are currently in preclinical development, and their safety and efficacy in humans have not been established.
"We view this transaction as validation of both the very real opportunity in Women's Health and reproductive endocrinology and also of the strength of our Proton platform in delivering high quality clinical candidates against challenging targets. Both FSHR and LHCGR are targets which have been validated by biologics, but over the past few decades there has been little progress in drugging them with orally bioavailable small molecules. Our work in FSHR and LHCGR is a clear benchmark of how the Proton platform can move the needle in challenging medicinal chemistry, and unlock a new era in fertility treatments.", said Dr. Lee, PostEra's Chief Scientific Officer.
"Our AI benchmark at PostEra has always been high quality chemical matter. We judge ourselves not simply on whether we can beat a metric, or top a leaderboard, but can we actually develop promising novel therapies that have the potential to help human health. For our Fertility pipeline, we are so pleased that EMD Serono, Inc. a globally-recognized player in this space will take these programs forward", added Aaron Morris, PostEra's Chief Executive Officer.
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