In this series, we explore cool new jobs in the innovation economy.
Did you know that the pessary is among the first-ever medical devices? Or maybe we should back up a little: Do you know what a pessary is? It’s a device that supports a woman’s pelvic organs, when her muscles are no longer up to the task as a result of childbirth or the natural course of aging. As devices go, it’s ubiquitous: pelvic floor disorders are both progressive and common — by age 80, half of all women experience them — which is why the ancient Greeks were thinking about this problem more than 2,000 years ago. Their solution? Half a wine-soaked pomegranate.
While there have been many advancements in the intervening millennia, 20 to 50 per cent of women give up on their off-the-shelf pessaries because of discomfort or irritation. To improve those stats, Cosm Medical, a Toronto-based startup, introduced a personalized product last year. Cosm integrates ultrasound, AI and 3D printing to improve treatment options for precision care in gynecology, creating prosthetics tailor-made for the unique anatomy they support.
We spoke with Golafsoun (Goli) Ameri, the head of research at Cosm Medical, about how data can help deliver personalized care, how collaboration can be so rewarding and what it’s like to see your work transform lives.
Why we need to be talking about pessaries
“Back in 2019, during Cosm’s early stages, I met a patient in her 30s. Her vaginal delivery caused pelvic organ prolapse and, as a result, she couldn’t work, she became depressed and couldn’t even lift her baby. It was a powerful reminder of the urgency and importance of the work we do.
“Pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence are often met with shame, silence and limited treatment options, and they can profoundly impair quality of life and mental health. Most women are fitted with pessaries that come in a limited range of shapes and sizes. But up to 30 per cent of patients who opt for this treatment are unable to be successfully fitted with standard pessaries.”
How to build a better pessary
“Our platform uses data and advanced technology to deliver personalized care. The result is a uniquely tailored device that better aligns with a woman’s individual anatomy and needs by integrating 3D printing, AI and biocompatible materials to help women get the treatment they need and slow down the progression of disease, improve their outcomes and reduce symptoms. Unlike traditional pessaries, which come in a handful of fixed options, our technology enables over 10 million possible designs. Most patients feel the benefits almost immediately and many women tell us their pessary has been life-changing.”
What it’s like being lead scientist
“No two days are the same! On the research side, which I love, I work very closely with our clinical and academic partners, and I’m running several clinical studies on the novel devices or novel indications we’re working on. Because this field has been so underresearched, everybody wants to help, and everyone’s driven. It’s very positive. I love our collaborators.
“And on the patient side, I’ve had the privilege of being present in almost every single patient visit that we’ve had in our clinical studies so far.”
What drew her to the field
“Growing up in Tehran, I was always very interested in science. I loved math. I was fascinated by physics. All I wanted to do was help humans.
“When I was 17 and in my last year of high school, my mom broke her neck and she almost died. She had a piece of broken bone that was pointing at the spinal cord. At the time, (the imaging technology available) wasn’t high enough resolution to see that little piece of bone and I remember thinking, ‘I wish there was something that you could just see the inside of the body.’
“I did my undergraduate in electrical engineering and master’s in medical physics at (what is now called) TMU, and my PhD in biomedical engineering at Robarts Research Institute at Western University — it’s one of the world’s top imaging institutes. The focus of my research was augmented reality ultrasound guidance to develop advanced visualization to help with surgical or interventional procedures. My project was guiding needles into the spine for epidural injections because that’s currently done blindly. We invented a very small ultrasound that we put at the tip of the needle. Basically, our needle could see where it was going. It was very cool, really cutting-edge technology.
“After I finished my PhD, I attended the Medical Device Playbook conference, where I met Derek Sham, the founder and CEO of Cosm. We got to talking, and he said that he wanted to start a company to help women with pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence. That was in May 2018, and we started working on Cosm that September.”
What’s next for Cosm Medical
“Our research is expanding across the continuum of care for pelvic health. We want to see if we can prevent pelvic floor disorders to some degree. Can we intervene in the postpartum phase, so that we can help tissue heal better? Can we intervene after pelvic repair surgery?
“We have several exciting clinical studies on the go, and we’ve started working on novel devices for supporting the pelvic floor post-surgery. We also are launching our product in the U.S. later this year — another major milestone.”
Why the world needs more people like Goli
“Pelvic floor disorders is such an understudied problem, it affects millions of women, yet it remains underserved. There’s a huge opportunity to make a meaningful impact. There are so many aspects of women’s health that need attention and more research. There’s room for a lot of people.”
As told to Dominique Ritter.
Dominique Ritter writes about technology for MaRS. Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, has partnered with MaRS to highlight innovation in Canadian companies.
