1 big thing Dr. Sara Naseri: Menstrual blood as a diagnostic tool
Mar 7, 2024
Dr. Sara Naseri discusses using menstrual blood as a diagnostic tool, her company Qvin's FDA-cleared blood test on menstrual pads. Adriel Bettelheim on women's health innovations. Importance of inclusive women's health research funding and redefining menstrual blood as valuable for healthcare.
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Menstrual Blood Is Clinically Informative
- Menstrual blood contains clinically relevant biomarkers similar to venous blood, enabling noninvasive testing.
- Qvin validated markers like A1C, thyroid hormones, hemoglobin and inflammation from menstrual samples.
Forensics Sparked Proteomics Research
- Early research on menstrual proteomics was sparse and originated in a forensic study about distinguishing menstrual blood in a murder case.
- Naseri tracked down the proteomics professor and used that work to start clinical validation for health use.
FDA Created A New Product Category
- The FDA created a new product category to clear the Q-pad because it's the first diagnostic menstrual pad.
- Regulatory recognition signals novelty and potential for broader women's-health diagnostics.