TED - My Big Idea (Ep. 3): A Monthly Miracle Packed with Scientific Potential | Karli Büchling
Karli Büchling is on a mission to make research on female physiology more accessible, highlighting the historical exclusion of women from medical research and clinical trials. She points out that women have only been included in clinical trials since 1993, resulting in a significant knowledge gap in women's health. Büchling proposes a menstrual blood biobank, leveraging the scientific potential of menstrual blood, which contains over 800 unique proteins and stem cells. This biobank would allow women to contribute to research from home, potentially leading to breakthroughs in diagnosing conditions like uterine cancer and endometriosis earlier. Büchling's idea gained traction at a TED event, where she received support from Global Access Diagnostics to develop diagnostic tests using menstrual blood. This collaboration aims to accelerate research and establish a biobank, with hopes of revolutionizing women's healthcare and closing the gender health gap.
Key Points:
- Karli Büchling proposes a menstrual blood biobank to utilize the scientific potential of menstrual blood, which contains over 800 unique proteins and stem cells.
- Women have been historically excluded from medical research, with only 30 years of research on female physiology since 1993.
- The biobank would enable women to contribute to research from home, potentially leading to early diagnosis of conditions like uterine cancer and endometriosis.
- Büchling's idea received support from Global Access Diagnostics, aiming to develop diagnostic tests and establish a biobank.
- The initiative seeks to revolutionize women's healthcare and address the gender health gap.
Details:
1. 🔍 Understanding Human Physiology: A Personal Journey
1.1. General Insights into Human Physiology
1.2. Addressing the Knowledge Gap in Male and Female Physiology
2. 🎤 TED's Mission and Karli's Ambitious Idea
- TED is actively searching for groundbreaking ideas that are not yet widely known, emphasizing that anyone, regardless of their background, can contribute significant ideas.
- The organization believes that ideas alone are not sufficient; they need to be shared on platforms like TED, where they can be exposed to experts, mentors, and investors.
- TED's initiative, 'My Big Idea,' aims to present ideas on stage to connect them with potential supporters who can help bring them to fruition.
3. 👩⚕️ Karli's Path: From Farm Life to Health Advocate
- Karli grew up on a farm and was always fascinated by understanding how things work, including human physiology.
- Despite her childhood aspiration to be a doctor, she was deterred by fainting at the sight of blood.
- During university, Karli experienced chronic pain and fatigue, but doctors couldn't diagnose her condition despite numerous tests.
- Her personal health challenges led her to think that there must be a more efficient way to handle medical testing and diagnosis.
- Karli aims to do a TED Talk to address and destigmatize women's health issues, emphasizing the need for better healthcare solutions.
- She has witnessed many friends suffering from undiagnosed illnesses and wants to improve future healthcare, particularly for her daughter.
- Karli is actively working towards creating a platform that supports women in identifying and managing chronic health conditions.
- Her advocacy focuses on improving diagnostic processes and healthcare access for women, leveraging her personal experiences to inspire change.
4. 🔬 The Persistent Gender Gap in Medical Research
- Women have been excluded from medical research and clinical trials for over 450 years, leading to the assumption that women are just smaller men, but with breasts.
- Since 1993, women were allowed to participate in clinical trials, providing just over 30 years of research on their physiology.
- Significant physiological differences have been discovered in how women's hearts, brains, and bladders function compared to men's.
- Women's health has been historically underfunded with a huge unmet need for more research in the field.
- There are over 15,000 studies conducted on sperm alone and less than 400 on menstrual blood.
- Endometriosis affects about one in 10 women, as common as diabetes or asthma, yet there are only 20 new potential treatments in clinical trials compared to about 580 for diabetes.
- 1.6 billion people live with gynecological conditions for which there is no cause, diagnosis, or treatment available.
- Although women live longer than men, they spend a larger proportion of their life in ill health and disability due to the lack of focus on conditions that only impact women and their underrepresentation in clinical trials.
5. 🚀 Innovating Clinical Trials for Women's Health
- Current clinical trials often exclude female physiology, creating a significant gap in healthcare research.
- A recent study projects it will take 136 years to close the gender health gap without innovative changes in clinical trial design.
- Accelerating innovations in clinical trials for women can be informed by the rapid advancements seen in other fields, like space exploration.
- Innovations could include developing trials that specifically address female health issues or adjusting existing protocols to better accommodate female participants.
- The establishment of gender-specific metrics and methodologies in trials can contribute to more equitable healthcare outcomes.
6. 🌟 The Rigorous Preparation for a TED Talk
- Preparation for a TED Talk is intensive, involving script writing, rehearsals, and iterative feedback from the TED team, all within a tight schedule, demanding significant time management to balance personal and professional responsibilities.
- The fear of public speaking is prevalent, with concerns about effectively communicating the impact of ideas, especially in fields like healthcare.
- The speaker anticipates TED day in Brighton with excitement, viewing it as an opportunity to disseminate transformative ideas widely and advocate for healthcare changes.
- Collaborative efforts and partnerships are deemed crucial, with an emphasis on empowering women to advocate for systemic change in healthcare.
7. 💡 Introducing the Menstrual Blood Biobank Idea
- Menstrual blood contains over 800 unique proteins and stem cells, making it a valuable biological resource, not waste.
- The concept of a menstrual blood biobank involves collecting menstrual blood to facilitate groundbreaking research and build a comprehensive database of female biometrics, biomarkers, and stem cells.
- Potential applications include early detection of uterine cancer and PCOS, predicting menopause symptoms, and identifying endometriosis within weeks.
- Menstrual blood stem cells could aid in treating conditions like leukemia, offering patients a second chance at life.
- The initiative aims to transform the perception of menstruation from a monthly inconvenience to a source of valuable medical insights.
8. 👏 Acknowledgment and Collaboration Opportunities
- Global Access Diagnostics aims to develop a test for endometriosis using menstrual blood, showcasing its potential as a diagnostic resource.
- The proposal for a menstrual blood biobank represents a significant innovation in women's healthcare, offering a new avenue for research and development.
- An unexpected collaboration opportunity emerged at the event, underscoring the potential to significantly advance women's healthcare through collective efforts.
9. 🔗 Progressing Towards a Health Revolution
- A grant has been secured to develop a brand and design a collection kit, thanks to connections in the funding space.
- Collaboration with Global Access Diagnostics (GADx) aims to accelerate research in menstrual blood for diagnostic tests, aligning with their mission.
- The setup of a biobank is underway, expected to be operational by the end of the year, to facilitate important research in women's health.
- Partnership with the University of Warwick is facilitating the establishment of Europe's first menstrual blood bank, targeting groundbreaking research.