Saliva-based Menopause Test Wins Hackstarter

Congratulations to Karina Cheng, Biomedical Technology Ventures BSc student, and teammate Yihan Pu, on winning Imperial College’s Advanced Hackspace Hackstarter Grand Final with their Menosense device which monitors menopause via saliva!

Karina and Yihan stand side by side, smiling and posing enthusiastically with finger-gun gestures. They are holding a wooden award labeled "HACKSTARTER." One is wearing glasses, a blue plaid shirt, and jeans, while the other is in a brown cardigan over a white top and a brown skirt. Behind them, a large blue banner with white text reads "IMPERIAL ADVANCED HACKSPACE" and "Where ideas take shape," with the Imperial College London logo at the bottom. The setting appears to be an indoor event space with bright lighting and modern decor
Karina and Yihan after winning the Hackstarter Grand Final. Photo credit: Dr Ben Almquist.

Women experiencing menopause undergo hormonal changes that affect their mood, metabolism, and health. Traditional hormone tests need blood or urine samples, which can be invasive and take a long time to produce results.

Menosense introduces a portable saliva-based hormone detector for menopause that uses Lateral Flow Immunoassay technology for home use. It provides quick, noninvasive, and accurate hormone readings in just 20 minutes. A handheld reader analyses disposable test strips, and results appear on the device and a Bluetooth-connected mobile app, allowing users to track their health.

Imperial’s Hackstarter programme helps bring entrepreneurial ideas to life by offering grant funding for early-stage projects.

Students and staff can apply individually or in groups of up to four. If selected, they receive £500 in Hack Credit to create a prototype at the Hackspace, plus access to the Advanced Hackspace and expert technical support.

At the end of the programme, teams showcase their projects at a mini-symposium. A panel of judges picks the winning team, which is awarded up to £2,500 in extra Hack Credits for further development.

Click here to find out more about Imperial’s Hackstarter programme.