WoW Woman in FemTech I Ahinoam Lev-Sagie, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at GynTools
Ahinoam Lev-Sagie is the Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at GynTools.
GynTools is an Israeli startup company. They invented Gyni™- the only multicausal, accurate, rapid, and cost-effective point of care diagnostic system for vaginitis. Vaginitis is the most common gynaecological condition, causing complaints of itch, discharge, pain, and burning. It is currently misdiagnosed in about 50% of first clinic visits – an acute problem that leads to continuous suffering to patients and costs payers (health medical organizations and insurance companies) more than $ 3 B in redundant expenses each year.
Ahinoam, tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
I am a gynaecologist specializing in vulvovaginal disorders (i.e., medical problems of women's genitals, such as itch, discharge, and pain with intercourse). These problems are very common, nevertheless, there are not many gynaecologists who are trained in this field. I am a senior physician in the department of OB\GYN in Hadassah University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel, and an Associate Professor in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I am also continuously engaged in both basic science and clinical research in the area of vulvovaginal medicine. In 2016 I co-founded GynTools Ltd with the intention to create a rapid point-of-care diagnostic tool that empowers just any GYN with expert skills for diagnosing vaginitis.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
Driven by a motivation to improve the treatment of vulvovaginal disorders, we devised an automated, intelligent point of care system that will be operated by a non-specializing person and will do exactly what I do in the clinic.
Luckily, I found capable and experienced co-founding partners among my close family members who made this process much easier for me: My brother, Nimrod Lev, a mechanical engineer who serves as CEO, and my husband, Meny Lev-Sagie, a seasoned software expert who serves as CTO. Each one of them is bringing over two decades of experience in the medical device industry to the table.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the FemTech industry?
We are engaged in the development of Gyni for five years now. Since our product relies on machine learning processing of microscopy images, we needed to spend the first 3 years collecting an archive of such images of the various infectious and non-infectious conditions, collecting samples under a clinical trial from hundreds of patients. Our biggest difficulty is with fundraising, where most investors are men, unaware or indifferent of women's medical issues and their consequences. My main challenge is to combine demanding clinical work, research, teaching, and supporting the medical aspects of GynTools.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
Besides co-founding GynTools and seeing it grow from an idea to a real game-changing product, My achievements are the daily satisfaction from successfully treating my patients; training young physicians in this special underserved domain of vulvovaginal disorders and seeing them becoming successful specialists; the clinical research that I keep being involved with, such as the publication in Nature Medicine about “Vaginal microbiome transplantation in women with intractable bacterial vaginosis“, opening the door for long-awaited new treatment modalities.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
Continuous development of the Gyni system and supporting various clinical trials to evaluate its performance
Development of an online course teaching vulvovaginal disorders
Completion of a 5-parts review written on behalf of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD), aiming to summarize the recent findings and understanding of the vaginal microbiome (accepted for publication in the JLGTD).
Research projects:
Vaginal Microbiome Transplantation in women with intractable bacterial vaginosis
Characterization of vaginal, urinary, and fecal microbiomes in women with recurrent urinary tract infections: to evaluate whether variations in vaginal and/or urinary and/or fecal microbiome predispose women to recurrent cystitis
Evaluation of the efficacy of CO2 laser for the treatment of Genitourinary syndrome of menopause in breast cancer patients, in a prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo (sham)-controlled study
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
I am sure that such a large community of over 20,000 women in this industry that are much better aware of their fellow women’s needs, will bring much focus to problems and solutions that were neglected for too long.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
Patients will be able to obtain a suggested diagnosis in the comfort and privacy of their home in many more cases than they currently do.
Remote medical consultations will become a prevailing standard of care and the overall level of service that women are receiving will improve significantly in both speed and precision of treatment.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
Never be afraid to try out your crazy ideas. Keep believing even if you get multiple refusals along the way, and find the best people you can, to push forwards and do what it takes to make them a reality.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
Prof. Lynette J. Margesson- a vulvar dermatologist in Maine, USA.
Prof. Margesson is my mentor in vulvar disorders, she trained me and taught me how to diagnose and treat these confusing disorders. She is an inspiration regarding her clinical skills, her modesty, her kind and respectful attitude to her patients, her generosity in sharing her knowledge with everyone, and her never-ending energy.
Prof. Drorith Hochner
Prof. Hochner was the head of the OB/GYN department when I was a resident. She became a gynaecologist when this speciality was dominated by men and broke the glass ceiling for us, the younger gynaecologists.
Prof. Ada Yonath
Prof. Yonath is an Israeli scientist, the first Israeli woman to win the Nobel Prize for her studies on the structure and function of the ribosome.
Find out more about GynTools on their website.
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This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.