Hair Sample Hormone Detection for Long-Term Retrospective Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hormone assays, such as those for DHEA, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and AMH, in plasma or serum struggle to accurately determine long-term retrospective hormone levels, which is crucial for assessing reproductive health and fertility.
Innovation Solution
The method involves obtaining a hair sample from a subject, processing it to generate data indicative of reproductive hormone presence, and using a reproductive hormone classifier to create a hormone profile, which can include micronutrient analysis, to assess ovarian reserve, dysfunction, and other reproductive health indicators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hormone assays are performed using plasma or serum, then the assays can detect current hormone levels, but they cannot accurately determine long-term retrospective hormone levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses hair as an intermediary medium to detect and quantify hormones. Hair incorporates hormones from bloodstream during growth, serving as a historical record that preserves information about past hormone levels. This intermediary allows retrospective analysis without requiring access to past blood samples.
Solution Approach 2:
The hair sample naturally accumulates and preserves hormone information during its growth period before collection. This preliminary accumulation action occurs in the body over time, creating a built-in historical record that can be analyzed later without requiring continuous monitoring or immediate processing.
2Measurement precision
If hair samples are used for hormone detection, then long-term retrospective hormone levels can be accurately determined, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the hair sample into multiple segments or sections, each representing different time periods of hormone exposure. By analyzing different portions of the hair shaft, the method can retrieve chronological hormone level information without requiring complex simultaneous processing of the entire sample.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts hormones from the hair matrix through chemical processing to prepare them for detection. This extraction step isolates the target analytes from the complex hair structure, simplifying subsequent detection while maintaining the ability to retrieve historical information.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple hormones and micronutrients are analyzed in hair samples, then comprehensive reproductive health assessment is achieved, but the analytical complexity and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a universal analytical platform that can detect and quantify multiple different hormones and micronutrients using the same hair sample and similar processing methods. This multi-functional approach allows comprehensive reproductive health assessment without requiring separate specialized procedures for each analyte.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides methods and systems for generating a reproductive hormone profile of a subject. A method for generating a reproductive hormone profile of a subject may comprise (a) obtaining a hair sample of the subject; (b) processing the hair sample to generate data indicative of a presence of a reproductive hormone in the hair sample; and (c) processing at least some of the data of (b) using a reproductive hormone classifier to generate the reproductive hormone of the subject. The present disclosure also provides compositions and kits for performing methods described herein or using the systems described herein.