Project Description:

A major clinical issue in women’s health is uterine fibroids, non-cancerous tumors that occur in the uterus of 1 in 5 women of reproductive age. For the US, over 10 million women a year develop fibroids, leading to extreme pain and irregular heavy bleeding.
The reason for the development of fibroids is multifactorial, so solutions focus on addressing the presence of fibroids. Current solutions include a hysterectomy, which is the complete surgical removal of the uterus; Uterine Artery Embolization, which is the occlusion of blood vessels that lead to the fibroid; and Myomectomies, which are the partial removal of the uterus.
All of these solutions either: do not preserve patient fertility, do not address the recurrence of fibroids, or are inefficient for submucosal fibroids, which are fibroids near the surface of the uterine lining.
This is a huge problem and our team, the Womb Warriors, is determined to create a solution that will prevent more mothers, sisters, friends or loved ones from experiencing these factors. To improve quality of life for these women, we have developed TransVex, a drug delivery device, compatible with OBGYN tools, that goes through the vaginal canal, up into the uterine cavity to deliver fibroid shrinking drugs. It is necessary to deliver the drug directly into the fibroid for maximum efficacy. Transvex features an adjustable needle length with deflection up to 120 degrees, differentiating it from competitor devices. These claims are confirmed using a model uterus in testing. If this device is widely adopted, we could save the fertility of over 5 million women over the next decade.