ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE, Nicole Estrin, Innovative Health Diagnostics, August 16, 2022
Innovative Health Diagnostics (IHD), a CLIA- and FDA-certified lab that empowers every person access to accurate, clinical testing by providing testing when and where it matters most, announced today a new partnership with AIMA Laboratories (AIMA), a FemTech company dedicated to developing new products that fill current gaps in gynecological health, to develop and deliver a new and reliable at-home blood test to detect endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing pain and/or infertility. For the roughly 10% of reproductive-age women and girls globally who have endometriosis – approximately 190 million – there is a significant gap between when symptoms first appear and when they are diagnosed, which can typically take around 5 to 12 years.
“We’re thrilled to partner with AIMA to offer a service that provides actionable results and allows millions of women access to early diagnostic tools to detect endometriosis, carving a path to the right care, at the right time and when it’s most convenient,” said David White, IHD CEO and Co-Founder. “At IHD, our mission is to deliver solutions that provide hope to people struggling with infertility, and our partnership with AIMA further enables that mission.”
The test identifies certain microRNA biomarkers that are differentially expressed in women with endometriosis compared to women without. The test’s accuracy is comparable to laparoscopy, a type of surgery that is used to get a closer look into a woman’s abdomen and reproductive system. Laparoscopy is used to both diagnose and treat endometriosis, detecting and removing endometrial lesions. Because laparoscopy is a more invasive procedure, it often takes years for women to get tested and treated.
The new IHD-AIMA test will complement laparoscopic procedures. The test will both help eliminate diagnostic delays, enabling a noninvasive way to test for endometriosis and allow for patients who receive a positive test result to undergo a laparoscopy for treatment potentially years sooner than they would otherwise.
“At AIMA, our mission is to shorten a woman’s path to a healthier tomorrow,” explained Dr. Lauren Foster, Ph.D., Co-Founder, and CEO of AIMA. “We’re working to build a world where women actively participate in their own healthcare decisions, starting with endometriosis diagnostics. Our partnership with IHD enables us to serve the millions impacted by this debilitating condition and supplies them with a solution to diagnostic delays.”
Learn more about The Forge client AIMA Laboratories.