Startup developing screening tool for polycystic ovary syndrome

Symptoms include irregular or no periods, difficulty getting pregnant, hirsutism, weight gain, hair loss from the head, and acne but it can take years before a positive diagnosis for PCOS is given.

Now, chemical biologist Dr Melis Eda Ekinci aims to rectify this with Woost, a startup developing a home blood test kit for women that will enable them to regularly track biomarkers in their menstrual blood to screen for gynaecological conditions earlier.

“The idea, the inspiration, was to build a test that women can buy easily, online or at the pharmacy, or anywhere where they can - kind of like a pregnancy test – to perform a blood test at home and get results,” she said.

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The kit works in conjunction with a digital platform, where women can analyse their results, understand their symptoms, and access reviewed health information and treatment support.

Although in its early stages, Dr Ekinci expects the solution to deliver results in under half an hour when it reaches the market. Woost is also building an AI-assisted system targeting symptom tracking associated with PCOS, alongside menstrual blood testing.

Melis was prompted to develop the solution after suffering the debilitating symptoms of PCOS for 10 years before being given a positive diagnosis.

She said: “I was displaying all the physical symptoms – yet the sporadically timed blood tests I was given over the years always came back ‘clean’, and so never led to a diagnosis.

“Menstrual blood testing, however, is convenient, non-invasive and uniquely, it offers gender-specific blood testing and the opportunity to test for novel biomarkers. The potential market for this is huge because of the number of women with undiagnosed PCOS.”

A one-year clinical study funded by an Innovate UK Smart grant is underway with ‘a significant cohort’ to demonstrate the solution’s technical feasibility. Woost, which is open to approaches from potential collaborators, also begins a fundraise at the end of the year.

Ekinci has been further boosted by the impulse programme at Cambridge University, which has awarded her a fellowship, sponsored by The Henry Royce Institute, to help build Woost.