The goal is to take advantage of menstrual blood, which is often considered a useless residue, as an indicator about women’s health.
A revolutionary innovation of ETH ZurichMenstruai, promises to take advantage of menstrual blood as a key tool for monitoring women’s health.
Developed by a team led by Lucas Dosnon, this new system integrates a discreet, paper -based sensor, in a toiletry and uses a smartphone application to Provide health information. Creation is detailed in a published in Advanced Science.
For too long, menstrual blood was considered a residue, despite contain hundreds of protein that reflect those found in the venous blood. These include biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (PCR), a general marker of inflammation; Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), which may indicate certain types of cancer; and the CA-125, often high in patients with ovary cancer and endometriosis, explains.
“At its core, Menstruai consists of transforming something that is routinely discarded into a source of vital information,” said Dosnon. “Menstrual blood is a window for inflammatory diseasesrisk of cancer and broader health trends. ”
The non-electronic system sensor works similarly to the COVID-19 rapid tests. Users use the role in a normal way and a silicone chamber With a paper test strip Reacts to these proteins changing color – the darker the color, the greater the concentration of the bioindicator.
When the thinking is used, the users take a photograph to the sensor with the mobile phone. The menstruuai application, based on automatic learning, analyzes even the subtle variations of color and turns them into useful health information.
“The application recognizes the smallest differences In the intensity of the color, quantifying results that would otherwise be difficult to interpret, ”explained Dison.
After a promising feasibility study, the team is launching a larger field study involves more than 100 participants to ensure relevance in the real world and clinical accuracy. Its goal is to verify how the concentrations of bioindicators change during the different phases of the menstrual cycle and between individuals.
Looking to the future, Menstruai will be able to pave the way to broader tracking initiatives and population base, helping to ensure that women’s health is no longer set aside.
