Hormones exert a crucial influence on various physiological processes, encompassing reproductive health, mood, and energy levels, suggesting a potential scope of far-reaching health implications for such devices.
At TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield, the entrepreneurial venture showcased its expertise by pioneering a novel approach: repurposing FDA-cleared CGM needles to ensure continuous hormone tracking.
A breakthrough endeavour necessitates innovative sensor technology and foundational research, as current approaches for continuously monitoring hormone levels in interstitial fluid – a vital component surrounding physical cells – remain in their infancy. While established protocols for glucose monitoring via continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) rely on comparable strategies to hormonal mechanisms, this integration poses novel scientific hurdles.
Degree Zero’s methodology is founded on sensors that detect hormone concentrations by leveraging aptamers – single-stranded DNA molecules that selectively bind to target molecules and withstand reversible modifications. The device accurately quantifies hormone levels by monitoring the binding of hormones to aptamer sequences, thereby enabling the determination of hormone concentration.
Preliminary research focuses on tracking the levels of progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, and testosterone, leveraging these findings to drive advancements in cutting-edge areas such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and low testosterone treatment protocols. Estimated to be worth potentially $30 billion, these distinct regions define a sizable market opportunity.
Rather than targeting consumers directly, Degree Zero intends to offer the device through healthcare providers. Rustamova sharply criticises residence hormone-testing kits, predominantly peddled for urinary, sudatory, and salivary assessments, as largely ineffectual in their proclaimed purpose. While some advocate for alternative methods, she maintains that blood testing remains the most reliable approach to measuring hormones due to its accuracy and consistency. If proven profitable, Degree Zero’s groundbreaking innovation has the potential to establish a paradigm-shifting standard in hormone health monitoring, thereby paving the way for more personalized and effective healthcare.
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