Tech & devices

AI could help routine mammograms spot heart disease risk in women, as well as breast cancer, researchers have found. A team from Emory University analysed regular screening scans from more than 123,000 women who had no prior history of cardiovascular disease. Using an AI programme to quantify calcification and hardening in the arteries, they found [...]

New research has revealed privacy and advice concerns surrounding tech aimed at helping women navigate the menopause. The study, which surveyed 310 UK participants, warns that sensitive data collected from women about their health is often vulnerable to exploitation, ranging from targeted financial scams to workplace discrimination and misinformation. With nearly one million women in [...]

Artificial intelligence is transforming women's health at a pace and scale that would have seemed impossible a decade ago. If you are building in this space, your work matters - and the AI Innovation Award exists to make sure the world knows it. This award honours an individual or organisation pioneering the use of artificial [...]

Digital symptom checkers could reduce endometriosis diagnosis delays by more than four years and save over US$5,000 per patient, according to a modelling study. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the womb lining grows outside the uterus, often causing pelvic pain and other symptoms. In the US it takes about seven years on [...]

An electronic nose using machine learning can detect early signs of ovarian cancer in blood samples with 97 per cent accuracy, according to researchers. The device uses 32 sensors that react to volatile substances released from blood plasma. Different cancers emit different substances, meaning each effectively has a distinct chemical pattern. Rather than [...]

Teijin Pharma and Aska Pharmaceutical have teamed up on small-molecule drugs research for gynaecological diseases, combining AI-led design with clinical tests. The collaboration pairs Teijin Pharma’s AI-driven drug discovery and computer-aided molecular design with Aska Pharmaceutical’s expertise in obstetrics and gynaecology. The work will focus on early-stage drug discovery, identifying and optimising small-molecule compounds that [...]

Wysa has secured £5.3m to adapt a digital mental health programme for adolescent girls in rural India. The funding comes from Wellcome and will support a scale-up study to tailor a clinically validated digital intervention for girls facing limited autonomy, restricted access to technology, lower literacy, stigma and family gatekeeping. Digital interventions are app-based programmes [...]

The US ranks sixth for perimenopause knowledge, behind the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands, research by the Mayo Clinic and period tracker Flo has revealed. Perimenopause is the transition leading up to a woman’s last menstrual cycle and includes the 12 months afterwards, after which menopause is established as hormone levels change. It [...]

Women's telehealth company Wisp has acquired TBD Health, a sexual health platform, in its first acquisition and expansion beyond direct-to-consumer care. The deal adds TBD Health's diagnostics infrastructure and hospital partnerships to Wisp's platform, which the company says serves 1.8 million patients across the US. Wisp, which describes itself as the largest women's telehealth company [...]

Clue, the women-led period and cycle tracker health and wellness app, has announced a significant and strategic investment from Verdane - the European specialist growth equity firm focused on technology-enabled businesses. The investment - which is a substantial contribution from Verdane's €2 billion growth fund - is the single largest investment in Clue to date [...]