Matrix, the Flagship

Cervical cancer is one of the only preventable cancers if captured on time. However, 1 in 3 women do not comply with their life- saving assessments and procedures, which results to two deaths daily only in England. In the world there are over 350,000 women whose lives are spared due to cervical cancer.

Gynaecological assessments and procedures in general are highly disempowering and undignifying. As women, we do not only have to strip our clothes when we are examined reproductively, but we have to leave our agency, dignity and control over our reproductive economies. We are turned into medical objects.

31% of women also experience severe reproductive heath issues, but only under half of those seek the necessary help due to fear and embarrassment of vaginal examinations, their invasiveness and culturally inappropriate applications.

Another issue is the fact that UK's dear overstretched and underfunded NHS (National Health Institute) spends approx. £4.8bn on obstetric negligence, which is double to what we spend on care provision. It is shocking when we think that obstetrics account for 13% of all claims and 63% of the annual cost of harm to the NHS.

We created Matrix as a multidisciplinary gynaecological device to replace the vaginal speculum and its invasive applications. Matrix is not only a 21st century replacement of the speculum, it is an evolution and revolution for women's most intimate and private healthcare needs, accounting for their diverse reproductive experiences, non-monolithic bodily builds and physiologies. We created a novel use case, a sea change of innovation, which has the potential to save lives, save precious time to healthcare professionals and money to providers whilst optimising the overall clinical practice and enhancing patient experience.

Matrix is a novel technological advancement which offers a multispectral camera, so that clinicians can have a long-term follow up as well as easily transfer imagery from primary to secondary care without the need for oversubscribed long waitlists. We will reduce this by offering a database for fast exchange between clinicians. Data is the most powerful asset behind Matrix. The second largest benefit is the possibility for self-use by patients, so that they can fully control the experience of the examination. If unable to attend the examination in clinic, we would like to explore options of sending the device to the comfort of the patient's home so that they can perform the exam there. 

In its most fundamental form, Matrix is a 21st century replacement of the vaginal speculum, a digitally enabled device designed for patient comfort and self-use in a clinical setting.

The goal of Matrix is to replace the invasive, torture-like, Medieval-looking and highly outdated applications speculum, which has barely changed in design and operation since the Roman Era (199BC - Wellcome Collection). An innovation we need yesterday and an innovation which can dignify, empower and save hundreds of thousands of women's lives. This innovation is most needed now than ever before as it is especially aligned with NHS's pledge to eradicate cervical cancer by 2040.

The speculum is a significant factor for women not attending their life-saving assessments and procedures such as the Pap Smear Test. It is uncomfortable, often painful and culturally inappropriate application. The speculum is widely used in gynaecology. It's not niche - women come across it at least a few times in their lifetimes during routine and urgent gynaecological appointments.

Matrix is not only a product or a service offering. Matrix is a use case with radical and pioneering philosophy, which places patient experience and physiological understanding of the maternal-female body at the forefront of design and manufacture.

Matrix is a data-generating ecosystem. It enables the patient to fully control the experience, whilst transmitting visual data for real- time assessment in a unique digital archive that can inform treatment and further research.

Matrix is a novel technology. Its use is a sea change of innovation because it's designed for self-use, something that the patients can conduct and control themselves. Our data gathered through interviews and surveys suggest that over 80% of women and clinicians would prefer self-testing.

Matrix could be used for both pelvic and rectal use and its multispectral camera could detect prolapse as well as dilation during early labour in childbirth. Its high-resolution HD camera can show up to 30% more than with the naked human eye.

The application of the hardware is supported by an AI-enabled software for diagnostic accuracy to aid overall clinical practice. It's connected to WiFi or Bluetooth and has the potential for a satellite connection to enable telemedicine in developing countries. The cloud database supports patients and clinicians for long-term follow ups and quick transfer of information to ease wait lists (primary to secondary care), save time to healthcare practitioners and money to providers.

The speculum is an instrument used for vaginal and pelvic examinations. Its most common use is for cervical screening for prevention of cervical cancer. One of the only cancers which could be averted if caught on time. Due to cervical screening thousands of lives are saved annually in the UK. However, decline in attendance by 1.3m women out of the 5m invited every year, is a significant factor largely due to cultural and psychological barriers such as anxiety, fear, pain, discomfort, vulnerability, and embarrassment during the procedure.

In the UK, screening varies based on each country. NHS England commissions a programme as part of Public Health Section 7a agreement where “the provider will have procedures in place to identify and support those persons who are considered vulnerable/ hard-to-reach, including but not exclusive to, those who are not registered with a GP”. This includes prisoners, homeless, asylum seekers and people with various disabilities. The aim of the procedure is to be encompassing and wide-reaching. GP practices receive substantial funding for performing smear tests regardless of whether the patient attends or not.

The current cervical screening coverage in England is 72.2% and to witness a further increase, the procedure must be exalted and made inclusive and accessible. In the UK approximately 13.3m people are disabled, of whom 52% report mobility as their impairment. Also, research shows that 57% of women prefer to attend a different GP surgery than their registered one to suit their routine and ease accessibility.

After series of studies on different design objectives such as patient-centricity, ergonomics, affordances, materiality and functionality, an innovative design provocation ripens. Matrix is designed for comfort, inspired by the SexTech industry. It puts the human needs first for safety, control, and agency during moments of vulnerability. It offers aesthetic and physiological convenience and calmness in contrast to what the current exams with speculum do – harm, disempower and petrify. Matrix aspires the meaning of universal design, an inclusive design, a design built on flexibility and enabling the actors to develop a relationship with it.

The largest impact, which I believe this project carries is the societal. We aim to run our pilot/ trial with a specialist patient cohort and have commenced conversations with experts from John Radcliffe Hospital, who work closely with women with vaginismus as well as organisations who work with women who have been victims to FGM (female genitalia mutilation). We strongly believe that by working with extreme users or users who fall within the cracks by default, will create the best possible product. As a designer I stand by my manifesto which goes "designing special products and services for people with special needs often turns out to be beneficial to the mass". Therefore, this grant will enable us to zoom closely and work ethically with people, whose life experiences and bodily agencies have shaped a very specialist cohort. Co-designing Matrix with service users and clinical experts who work in that same space will be the largest ingredient for success.

I am the founder and CEO of Matrix Health & Care. By background and qualifications I am a fully licensed architect, but everything changed when I studied my Masters in Architecture at the Royal College of Art between 2014 and 2016. I fell unexpectedly pregnant with my first daughter which completely changed the route of life for me, not only as a parent-to-be but as a designer. I couldn't stop but question how we've designed and practised interactions, services, spaces and products which can equally make and break some of the most profound experiences in a human's life. Ever since 2015, I have invested my entire design career and development in the humanisation of women's health through equitable, inclusive and person-centric design. 

I decided to do another masters in Healthcare & Design with Imperial College London between 2020 and 2022. This is where Matrix was born at the back of conversations with obstetricians, gynaecologists, midwives and subject matter experts, who work day in and out in women's health. 

After series of accelerator programmes, successful grant awards (totalling £100k+ from renown institutions such as InnovateUK and Imperial College London), I have been running Matrix for over a year. Since September 2023, I am a full-time founder and CEO of Matrix as I left my role as a Healthcare Service Design Architect in order to fully commit to this mission. 

Unfortunately, due to lack of continuous funding, I have been unabled to afford a full-time set of employees. However, whenever I received a grant or an internship opportunity through a university, I have had the chance to work with some incredible people. I have a fantastic advisory board, who are experts from general practice, gynaecology, obstetrics, women's health strategy, sexual health, legal and regulatory experts.

I have recently opened the first, pre-seed round in order to raise funding towards product development and building a team who can drive Matrix forward. 

Because I have created a fully functioning prototype at the back of an InnovateUK grant for Transforming Healthcare Technologies, which award was £50,000.

I am applying to Solve as I believe Matrix has the power to be a significant contributor to saving lives in the most affect areas of cervical cancer incidences such as sub-saharan Africa, where women don't have access to basic healthcare, let alone specialist, female-centric healthcare. I would love to be part of the Solve network and receive as much support as possible, both financial and non-financial in terms of partnerships, network introductions and mentorship.

Matrix is a pioneering pelvic assessment and diagnosis device which is on a mission to replace the vaginal speculum and its invasive, highly traumatising, and culturally inappropriate applications.

Almost 50% of the human population is female. As women we come across this Medieval-looking, torture-like instrument, which has not changed much since the Roman Era...it's bonkers to think how advanced medicine is, but how slow innovation happens in women's healthcare.

Matrix is a 21st century replacement of the speculum. It's a digital, AI-enabled device, designed for self use. It enables the patient to completely control the experience if comfortable to do so. We introduce the first optical and digitally-enabled pap smear testing device, which aligns with the NHS ambition to eradicate cervical cancer in the UK by 2040, but more so - to eradicate women's health inequalities in areas where women don't have access to adequate healthcare, let alone female-centred health and care. Most cervical cancer incidences and deaths are in subsaharan Africa and Matrix can be a complete game-changer when it comes to accessibility, inclusivity and equity.

Matrix is not only a product or a service offering. Matrix is a use case with radical and pioneering philosophy, which places patient experience and physiological understanding of the maternal-female body at the forefront of design and manufacture.

Matrix is a data-generating ecosystem. It enables the patient to fully control the experience, whilst transmitting visual data for real- time assessment in a unique digital archive that can inform treatment and further research.

Matrix is a novel technology. Its use is a sea change of innovation because it's designed for self-use, something that the patients can conduct and control themselves. Our data gathered through interviews and surveys suggest that over 80% of women and clinicians would prefer self-testing.

It could be used for both pelvic and rectal use and its multispectral camera could detect prolapse as well as dilation during early labour in childbirth. High-resolution HD camera can show up to 30% more than with the naked eye.

Matrix is a data-generating ecosystem. It enables the patient to fully control the experience, whilst transmitting visual data for real- time assessment in a unique digital archive that can inform treatment and further research.

Matrix is a novel technology. Its use is a sea change of innovation because it's designed for self-use, something that the patients can conduct and control themselves. Our data gathered through interviews and surveys suggest that over 80% of women and clinicians would prefer self-testing.

Matrix could be used for both pelvic and rectal use and its multispectral camera could detect prolapse as well as dilation during early labour in childbirth. Its high-resolution HD camera can show up to 30% more than with the naked human eye.

The application of the hardware is supported by an AI-enabled software for diagnostic accuracy to aid overall clinical practice. It's connected to WiFi or Bluetooth and has the potential for a satellite connection to enable telemedicine in developing countries. The cloud database supports patients and clinicians for long-term follow ups and quick transfer of information to ease wait lists (primary to secondary care), save time to healthcare practitioners and money to providers.

Matrix can work with the existing system of the healthcare provider, therefore we have the flexibility to adopt. We will also be able to provide stand alone system through the software capability, where Matrix can operate as an independent format. We will have to adopt the safety standards of the individual care

We will prove that Matrix will be a game-changer by saving time to clinicians, money to providers and optimise the overall clinical practice and patient experience.

The AI capability will enabled faster imaging transfer to the right specialist care, aid diagnostic accuracy and decrease admin burdens to stretched systems and overworked healthcare professionals.

Cervical cancer is one of the only preventable cancers if captured on time. However, 1 in 3 women do not comply with their lifesaving assessments and procedures, which results to two deaths daily only in England. In the world there are over 350,000 women whose lives are spared due to cervical cancer.

Gynaecological assessments and procedures in general are highly disempowering and undignifying. As women, we do not only have to strip our clothes when we are examined reproductively, but we have to leave our agency, dignity and control over our reproductive economies. We are turned into medical objects.

31% of women also experience severe reproductive heath issues, but only under half of those seek the necessary help due to fear and embarrassment of vaginal examinations, their invasiveness and culturally inappropriate applications.

Another issue is the fact that our dear overstretched and underfunded NHS spends approx. £4.8bn on obstetric negligence, which is double to what we spend on care provision. It is shocking when we think that obstetrics account for 13% of all claims and 63% of the annual cost of harm to the NHS.

We created Matrix as a multidisciplinary gynaecological device to replace the vaginal speculum and its invasive applications. Matrix is not only a 21st century replacement of the speculum, it is an evolution and revolution for women's most intimate and private healthcare needs, accounting for their diverse reproductive experiences, non-monolithic bodily builds and physiologies.

We created a novel use case, a sea change of innovation, which has the potential to save lives, save precious time to healthcare professionals and money to providers whilst optimising the overall clinical practice and enhancing patient experience.

Matrix is a novel technological advancement which offers a multispectral camera, so that clinicians can have a long-term follow up as well as easily transfer imagery from primary to secondary care without the need for oversubscribed long waitlists. We will reduce this by offering a database for fast exchange between clinicians. Data is the most powerful asset behind Matrix. The second largest benefit is the possibility for self-use by patients, so that they can fully control the experience of the examination. If unable to attend the examination in clinic, we would like to explore options of sending the device to the comfort of the patient's home.

I would like to introduce you to a pioneering pelvic assessment and diagnosis device which is on a mission to replace the vaginal speculum and its invasive, highly traumatising, and culturally inappropriate applications.

51% of the human population is female. As women we come across this Medieval-looking, torture-like instrument which has not changed much since the RomanEra...it's bonkers to think how advanced medicine is, but how slow innovation happens when it comes to women's health and care.

In its most fundamental form, Matrix is a 21st century replacement of the speculum. It's a digital, AI-enabled device, designed for self-use. It enables the patient to completely control the experience without the need for a clinician to stand and stare between their most vulnerable and private bodily parts.

Some of the key benefits and functionalities which are present in our patent-pending are as follow:

* Matrix is designed for both vaginal and rectal use to make the process more person-centric, less invasive, and even pleasant experience;

* The technology allows for immediate wireless transfer of data, directly onto the clinician's desktop / device

* It has a multispectral high-resolution camera for capturing instantly transferrable images.

* It can be used for predicting pelvic and rectal prolapse

* It can be used for measuring dilation during early labour in childbirth

* The software is AI-supported for diagnostic accuracy

* Data is stored on a cloud and is shared with the patient

We have developed a prototype with existing off the shelf components which prove our concept. We have to undergo a miniaturisation of technology exercise and clear the regulatory pathway in order to fully operate on human tissue.

1 full-time team member (founder & CEO)

18 months (full-time for the past 6 months)

My passion for equitable and inclusive design became most pronounced when I joined the Masters in Healthcare & Design with Imperial College London and theRoyal College of Art. Being a fully qualified architect and having recently left architecture to pursue design for impact (in healthcare as the most fundamental societal pillar), I had the opportunity to work with an secondary multiple sclerosis expert, whose mobility and and abilities were deteriorating on daily basis. Sam, the expert, lived in a newly built and fully functional, according to paperwork of building standards, building. However, he couldn't execute any of his daily routines on his own. He couldn't even complete his shopping and get through the front door of his building without assistance. This is the moment I realised how dysfunctional systems design could be. We seem to design in isolation. We create buildings, public places, legislations and policies without the most important ingredient - the voice of the actual service users.

When I founded Matrix, I wanted to focus on the impact the speculum has had on generations of Black enslaved women. The history of the speculum is linked to extreme racism and endemic misogyny. From the outset, Matrix considers the groups of people who are designed out by default. We work closely with patient experts, who have had a hysterectomy (entire uterus removed operatively) as well as suffer from vaginismus (involuntary tightening of the vagina, which makes penetration brutally painful).

Our commercialisation model is based around serving the needs of women who are either refugees, trafficked or victims of sexual violence and assault. Our mission is to begin with those in most need as often designing solutions for people with special needs turns out to be applicable to wide range of users. This is our ethos. Our mission is Matrix to be an enabler through the powers of telemedicine and deskilled workforce. We see our invention serving people where healthcare is a scarce, let alone specialist healthcare such as reproductive or women's health.

So far, Matrix has only worked with team members and sub-contractors, whose vision and aim for equitable, accessible and inclusive design are inseparable part of their core qualities. We are planning for our team to expand and recently, we recruited an intern from the University of Gloucestershire. The employee finished her studies in Law and Business Administration last year, but she's not been able to find a role due to (according to her) her ethnic origins. Being at Matrix will hopefully extend her chances for future success.

I believe that EDI is key to the success of every team as we connect through our differences, we learn from those and we grow together differently. We have adopted this principle at Matrix and this is a core principle to our company's attitude

Our business model is B2B and we plan to sell directly to healthcare providers through a single purchase of the medical device and repeat subscription model through out Software as a Medical Device offering as well as laboratory work, incl supply chain and logistics of cleaning and maintenance of parts.

In the short term, we will be aiming to capture 10% of the UK's cervical cancer market by partnering with charities, which promote the update of the procedures, with private sexual and reproductive healthcare clinics such as Portland Hospital as part of HCA Healthcare UK. The long-term plan is to reduce the need for the invasive smear testing in both private and public healthcare setting. We trust our technology and service offering will enable this.

Matrix will work both on direct sales of the device itself and subscriptions (SaaS) to our software diagnostics tool as well as the laboratory work, where we will be hiring full-time scientists and operation managers in the future. We plan for the device itself to cost £5,000 and the monthly subscription per clinic to be of £1,500. This model will save clinicians 20mins on average, £300 per appointment to providers and will enhance both clinical outcome and patient experience. We introduce a sea change innovation, therefore our first market is the private health provision, which we plan to expand to the USA.

The largest impact, which I believe this project carries is the societal. We aim to run our pilot/ trial with a specialist patient cohort and have commenced conversations with experts from John Radcliffe Hospital, who work closely with women with vaginismus as well as organisations who work with women who have been victims to FGM (female genitalia mutilation). We strongly believe that by working with extreme users or users who fall within the cracks by default, will create the best possible product. As a designer I stand by my manifesto which goes "designing special products and services for people with special needs often turns out to be beneficial to the mass". Therefore, this grant will enable us to zoom closely and work ethically with people, whose life experiences and bodily agencies have shaped a very specialist cohort. Co-designing Matrix with service users and clinical experts who work in that same space will be the largest ingredient for success.

As a founder who is both underrepresented and a British foreigner, inclusion is at the heart of this business. I plan to build a business and a model of operating this building which truly showcases the positives which the UK has provided me for the past 14 years. Equally, by being a European citizen as well, I am able to expand the business to the continent which will largely benefit the economy of the UK.

The biggest opportunity for change-making is in Subsaharan Africa. The idea is the business to enable communities through the power of telemedicine and deskilled workforce where non-medical professionals can 'perform' the examination and the instant imaging can be transferred onto a clinician in any part of the world.