Carrying out daily injections of fertility medicine during an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) process has a significant impact on a patient's life. The drugs need to be stored at specific temperatures, making them hard to transport, and taken at specific times, removing patient flexibility.
Alma is a portable cooling case which gives the patient more social flexibility through their IVF process. The case controls the temperature of injectable fertility medication, ensuring they remain at optimum potency for the treatment. By removing the necessity to inject at home, it empowers the patient to lead a normal life during their IVF treatment.
Alma is a portable cooling case which gives the patient more social flexibility through their IVF process. The case controls the temperature of injectable fertility medication, ensuring they remain at optimum potency for the treatment. By removing the necessity to inject at home, it empowers the patient to lead a normal life during their IVF treatment.
Alma has been recognised with a 2020 iF design award.
The cooling case concept is a discreet product to transport and store the patient's medication, helping them to keep their treatment private until they are ready to share.
The Alma companion app notifies the user of their upcoming injections and IVF appointments, creating an ecosystem which reduces the burden on a patient to remember and prepare their injections.
We developed insights into how the patient’s emotional experiences are linked with the complex clinical process. We sought to understand how patients are served during the process and if technology can play a role in improving their experience. Our interviews with specialist clinicians and IVF patients were used as a ground for well-informed market insights from which we began concept development.
Alma is the result of close collaboration with patients and specialist clinicians, and is developed from a highly iterative and multidisciplinary problem solving approach.
Set up is easy as Alma looks up the recommended storage information for the patient’s medication. The case then readies the syringe to the correct injection temperature for a time chosen by the patient. The integrated needle cutter removes the need for the patient to carry a bulky and obvious sharps container with them, making the case a complete solution for portability.
Alma’s non-obtrusive and timeless design echoes the patient’s own personal belongings, allowing them to maintain the privacy of their IVF journey until they are ready to share with family and friends.
This content was originally posted on Cambridge Consultants' website. Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual property and provides business consultancy in technology critical issues for clients worldwide. For more than 50 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies.
