The revolutionary diagnostic platform being developed by Gina Life has the potential of becoming a global game changer that could save the lives of millions of women. Its goal is to detect a range of medical conditions and diseases, including ovarian cancer, through a simple home-testing kit that analyzes vaginal discharge.
Gina Life
The new technology is the brainchild of Dr. Shlomit Yehudai-Reshef, a molecular biologist who is the Director of the Clinical Research Institute at Rambam (CRIR). In 2006, she became interested in how biomarkers in human fluids can reveal disease and, in particular, how vaginal discharge could be a source of information about a woman’s health – a field that had never before been explored. Dr. Yehudai-Reshef suspected that there are thousands of different proteins in vaginal discharge whose values increase or decrease as a result of pathologies such as endometriosis, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and even postnatal depression. Her theory was met with considerable skepticism and even disgust – mainly from men – but eventually she founded Gina Life in 2015 together with Prof. Roni Michaely. Several years later, they were joined by Dr. Inbal Zafir-Lavie, who is the company’s CEO and an expert in molecular immunology.
The team began examining vaginal discharge samples from both healthy women and from women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in order to identify the disease’s unique biomarkers. In the process, they established the biggest biobank of vaginal discharge in the world.
Their idea is to develop a high-tech sanitary pad that women will be able to buy in their local pharmacy. After wearing the pad for a few hours, they can simply turn it over and trigger a small contraption that captures the liquid contents. The liquid is then tested on nanometer strips, and within minutes yields results which can be uploaded to an app. A detailed explanation will appear on the woman’s smartphone within minutes.
Gina Life conducts clinical testing in collaboration with several leading Israeli hospitals, including Rambam, to identify the precise proteins that are the first to appear ahead of a diagnosis. The results have been very promising: 32 proteins show a significantly high indication of whether a woman has ovarian cancer. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, the researchers are in the process of isolating the top 3-5 biomarkers.
Gina Life is currently raising funds ahead of large-scale clinical trials at Mayo Clinic, with the hope of obtaining FDA approval. Recently, the startup won the prestigious Boston MassChallenge accelerator’s competition, beating out over 400 other contestants. In 2020, the company joined the MindUP incubator, which has enabled them to make substantial progress.
Rambam MedTech has played a key role throughout the development process, helping Gina Life turn a good idea into a disruptive technology that is on track to revolutionize women’s healthcare. Indeed, Rambam MedTech’s professional support has been vital in facilitating the young company’s growth – by helping to find investors, providing marketing support, and working closely with the management team.
