Health: Early detection in everyday life

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a simple, non-invasive and cost-effective method that can recognise biomarkers in menstrual blood directly in sanitary towels: MenstruAI. The electronic-free sensor technology does not rely on a laboratory and could facilitate the early detection of diseases – especially in regions with poor healthcare provision. The application is very simple: wear the sanitary towel with the integrated sensor, take a picture and use the app to analyse it. Menstrual blood contains hundreds of proteins, making it comparable to venous blood. Three biomarkers are used in the prototype: CRP (inflammation), CEA (tumour marker) and CA-125 (endometriosis /ovarian cancer). The method makes use of paper-based rapid test strips comparable to Covid self-tests: if a biomarker in the blood comes into contact with a specific antibody on the test strip, a coloured indicator appears. The higher the concentration of the protein, the darker the colour. Following an initial feasibility study, a larger field study is now planned.