Merck KGaA's EMD Serono Acquires PostEra's Oral Fertility Programs Targeting FSHR and LHCGR
核心洞察
EMD Serono, the US and Canada healthcare business of Merck KGaA, has acquired two AI-designed fertility programs from Boston-based PostEra (搜索) for a mid-double-digit millions sum.
The programs comprise oral small molecule agonists of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (搜索) for IVF ovarian stimulation and luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (搜索) for male infertility (搜索) and ovulation trigger.
PostEra (搜索) used its Proton AI platform to overcome historical hurdles in drugging these biologic-validated targets, including selectivity and metabolic stability, with both candidates still in preclinical development.
EMD Serono, Inc., the U.S. and Canada healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has acquired two fertility programs from Boston-based PostEra (搜索), a biotechnology company specializing in artificial intelligence for small molecule drug discovery and reproductive endocrinology. The deal, announced September 9, 2026, covers PostEra's follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (搜索) (FSHR) and luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (搜索) (LHCGR) agonist programs, both of which are orally administered small molecules currently in preclinical development.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the companies, but PostEra (搜索) CEO Aaron Morris said Merck KGaA is paying the startup an amount in the "mid-double-digit millions." Following completion of the transaction, EMD Serono will assume sole responsibility for continued development and potential commercialization of the programs worldwide. The safety and efficacy of both candidates in humans have not been established.
AI Platform Yields First-in-Class Oral Candidates
PostEra (搜索) developed the programs over the past two years using its AI platform, Proton, targeting Women's Health and Fertility — markets the company describes as almost entirely dependent on injectable medications, with unmet needs around patient convenience. Within fertility, Proton was used to develop a series of novel FSHR agonists for ovarian stimulation in IVF. In parallel, PostEra developed novel small molecule agonists of LHCGR for male infertility (搜索) and ovulation trigger in IVF.
According to PostEra (搜索) chief scientific officer Alpha Lee, converting injectable hormones into pills has historically faced two major challenges. The first is selectivity: other small-molecule efforts have resulted in off-target effects, such as overstimulating the thyroid. The second is metabolic stability, particularly a suitably long half-life. PostEra used its AI platform to predict such problems and design molecules intended to overcome them.
"The status quo in IVF is that women receive a lot of injections," Lee said. "What PostEra (搜索) has done is be able to create small molecules, orally available, that can stimulate the same receptors that these injections do."
Both FSHR and LHCGR are targets validated by biologics, yet Lee noted there has been little progress over the past few decades in drugging them with orally bioavailable small molecules. "Our work in FSHR and LHCGR is a clear benchmark of how the platform can move the needle in challenging medicinal chemistry, and unlock a new era in fertility treatments," he said.
Potential to Replace Injections in IVF and Male Infertility
Standalone, the LHCGR agonist has shown potential in preclinical studies to offer an oral alternative to injectable hCG regimens used for selected male infertility (搜索) patients. The LHCGR agonist stimulates testosterone production in the testes and triggers ovulation in the ovaries. A combination of the FSHR and LHCGR agonists could potentially transform the current IVF protocol from injections to an all-oral regimen — described by PostEra (搜索) as a step-change in treatment for women undergoing IVF.
Morris framed the acquisition as evidence of the qualitative value of AI-driven discovery rather than speed or cost alone. "These programs are first in class. These are not me-toos," he said. "I think a lot of the critiques leveled at AI are, 'show me something new.' Obviously we've not gone after this just to prove a point about AI, but I do think that this case study really just bolsters that with AI, yes, speed and cost are important, but qualitative improvement over the standard of care is important as well."
Lee added that the transaction validates both the opportunity in Women's Health and reproductive endocrinology and the strength of the platform in delivering high-quality clinical candidates against challenging targets. "Our AI benchmark at PostEra (搜索) has always been high quality chemical matter," Morris said. "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."
PostEra Retains PMOS Pipeline, Plans Clinical Entry
PostEra (搜索)'s internal pipeline continues to lean heavily toward reproductive and endocrinologic health. The company shifted its focus toward fertility and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (搜索) (PMOS), formerly known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, around a year ago, and its current focus is PMOS. Morris and Lee plan to begin clinical trials for a PMOS drug candidate early next year.
Morris said he has received offers for the PMOS drug program and that while PostEra (搜索) is open to partnerships down the line, he wants to keep development — and value — in-house for now. "We're pretty much the only game in town for novel PMOS treatments at this time," he said. "Financially, we think there's going to be even more upside once you can get that into the clinic."
Elsewhere, PostEra (搜索) holds partnerships with Pfizer and Amgen that Morris said cover "pretty much every therapeutic area imaginable." PostEra was named one of C&EN's 10 Start-Ups to Watch in 2025.