Investing in the future of fetal monitoring.

Fetal heart rate monitoring provides important information about how a fetus may be responding during labor, but it is only one parameter. It does not directly measure fetal oxygenation. Heart rate patterns can be difficult to interpret, particularly when a tracing is classified as Category II. Raydiant is developing fetal pulse oximetry technologies designed to provide a direct measurement of fetal oxygen saturation, complementing fetal heart rate monitoring with an additional physiologic parameter when clinicians are making important decisions.

During labor, clinicians have to make decisions without knowing the fetus’s oxygen status directly. Existing fetal heart rate monitoring can identify changes that require attention, but it may not explain what those changes mean physiologically. Raydiant is working to make fetal oxygen information visible so clinicians can evaluate labor with more objective information and move from ambiguity toward greater clarity.

Category II includes a broad range of fetal heart rate patterns that are neither clearly reassuring nor clearly abnormal. These tracings can leave important questions unanswered, even while clinicians must decide whether to continue observation, intervene, or expedite delivery. Fetal pulse oximetry could help clinicians better understand what is happening during these uncertain periods.

Periods of indeterminate fetal heart rate patterns are common during labor. More than 80% of labors include periods of Category II at some point. This does not mean that 80% of fetuses are in danger. It means that clinicians frequently encounter tracings that require interpretation without direct fetal oxygen information.

Earlier fetal pulse oximetry approaches demonstrated that fetal oxygen saturation could be measured during labor, but limitations in technology, usability, workflow, and the evidence available at the time affected adoption. Raydiant believes advances in sensing, engineering, data processing, and device design, together with changes in the way we provide care today, create an opportunity to reconsider how fetal pulse oximetry could be incorporated into contemporary labor and delivery care.

Raydiant is developing technologies intended to measure and communicate fetal oxygen information during labor. The goal is not to replace fetal heart rate monitoring, but to provide relevant oxygen information alongside it so clinicians have a more complete physiological picture when evaluating fetal well-being.

Nirah and Lumerah are two fetal pulse oximetry technologies being developed by Raydiant. Nirah is designed as a fetal pulse oximetry sensor placed directly on the cheek of the fetus during labor once the water has broken. Lumerah is being developed as a non-invasive approach that obtains fetal oxygen information through sensors placed on the maternal abdomen. Together, they represent complementary approaches to addressing the same unmet clinical need.

Raydiant’s approach reflects advances in sensor technology, materials, signal processing, system design, and the understanding of clinical workflow. The company is developing its technologies specifically for contemporary labor and delivery environments, with attention to how information is acquired, interpreted, and used alongside existing fetal monitoring.

No. Raydiant’s technology is being developed to work alongside existing fetal heart rate monitoring rather than replace it. Fetal heart rate remains the foundation of fetal assessment during labor. Raydiant’s objective is to add fetal pulse oximetry—the physiological measurement that is currently missing—so clinicians have more than a single physiologic signal when evaluating the fetus during labor.

There are approximately 3.6 million births in the US and 40 million births globally each year. Labor and delivery is a large, established area of hospital care, yet fetal oxygen is not routinely measured. Raydiant is addressing a fundamental information gap within a clinical workflow used in millions of births. The opportunity includes the potential clinical value of better information, the scale of obstetric care, and the possibility of establishing a new category within fetal monitoring.

Raydiant is focused on a clearly defined unmet need: currently clinicians must make important decisions during labor without direct fetal oxygen information. The company’s position is supported by its specialized fetal pulse oximetry technologies, clinical and engineering expertise, intellectual property, development experience, non-dilutive support, and strategic relationships.

The underlying clinical need has remained unresolved while sensing technologies, computational capability, materials, device engineering, hospital data systems, and obstetric practice have advanced. Raydiant believes these developments make it possible to approach fetal pulse oximetry differently than in the past. The company is developing technologies designed for the realities of modern labor and delivery care.