About Us

Meet the Team

  • Ryan Afreen

    CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

    Ryan is a second year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with training and expertise in the medical startup space. She founded an online educational learning platform that bridges access to college resources and mentorship for first generation, low-income high school students during her undergrad at UPenn. She also co-led a small medical startup in Bangladesh that builds portable filters to convert flood water into safe drinking water in rural areas. Her startup is currently working with the Bangladeshi government to install small, solar-powered refrigerators for COVID-19 vaccine storage in rural areas.

  • Nancy (Zihan) Zhang

    CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

    Nancy is a second year PhD student in Biomedical Sciences with a training area in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies (AIET) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Statistics from UCLA in 2023. She has conducted research on the application of deep learning in materials science engineering, computer vision, bio-informatics, and genomics. She is passionate about bringing AI to the field of medicine to advance our understanding and enhance the quality of healthcare. She is also interested in entrepreneurship in healthcare technology.

  • Karan Lingineni

    CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

    Karan is a first year Master of Science candidate in Mount Sinai’s Clinical Research program. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and Neurobiology from UC Berkeley in 2022. His interests lie in the growing convergence of cloud computing and machine learning with medical informatics, drug discovery, and whole-slide image classification. He previously worked at Roche Pharmaceuticals, developing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor classification CV pipelines. He also held a position at Amazon, creating Graph Neural Network MVPs for client institutions attempting research in preventing chemotherapeutic side effects based on a patient’s multi-omics data.

What is PCOS?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder affecting women of reproductive age. It’s most prevalent among women of color, namely South-, Southeast-, and East Asians. Common symptoms and side effects include:

Irregular menstrual cycles

The hormonal imbalance can affect ovulation, affecting how frequently you get your periods and how many days they last for. You could miss a few periods in a row, have a longer cycle, or even stop getting periods entirely. This can also have an effect on your fertility.

Increase in androgen levels

Androgens are “male” sex hormones like testosterone that are normally produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands. Conditions like tumors and PCOS can cause an overproduction of androgens. This can lead to acne, excess facial and body hair (hirsutism), oily skin, and hair thinning on your head.

Polycystic ovaries

Sometimes people can develop multiple small sacs of fluid along the outer edge of the ovary called cysts. These cysts contain immature eggs called follicles, which fail to regularly release eggs.

PCOS vs. PCOD

PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and PCOD (Polycystic Ovary Disease) are related conditions involving the ovaries, but they are distinct in terms of their underlying nature, causes, and severity. In PCOD, the ovaries may release immature or partially mature eggs, which can lead to cyst formation. It’s generally less severe and doesn’t necessarily involve significant hormonal imbalance. Symptoms may include irregular menstruation and abdominal pain but are generally milder. Weight gain and metabolic symptoms are also less common. Fertility issues can often be managed more easily with lifestyle changes or minor medical interventions. PCOD symptoms are managed through lifestyle medications and medication is only prescribed if the symptoms are more pronounced. Basically, PCOS is a more complex and severe hormonal disorder with a higher risk of long-term health issues, while PCOD is typically milder, more lifestyle-related, and often managed with non-intensive treatments.

Types of PCOS

Insulin-resistant PCOS

One of the most common types of PCOS which occurs because of high insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone the pancreas makes which allows cells to use sugar as a source of energy. If your cells become resistant to insulin, blood sugar levels can increase, causing your body to make even more insulin to try to bring it down. Too much insulin can lead to higher quantities of androgen. A typical sign of insulin resistance is dark patches around your neck, armpits, between your legs, and under your breasts. Another sign is an increased appetite and weight gain.

Inflammatory PCOS

Chronic, low-grade inflammation happens when the inflammatory response (our white blood cells responding to infection or injury) continues even though you’re no longer sick or injured. It’s a slow process that can last for months or years. Studies have shown a strong association between PCOS and long-term, low-grade inflammation which can lead polycystic ovaries to produce androgens. Some common symptoms include frequent headaches, gut health issues like IBS, and skin allergies.

Adrenal PCOS

Women with adrenal PCOS will have higher levels of stress and will increase the level of DHEA-S production as a result. In typical PCOS, the ovaries overproduce androgens, but in adrenal PCOS, the imbalance is driven by the adrenal glands. DHEA-S acts like a building block for other hormones like testosterone and estrogen. However, excessive exposure to high DHEA levels can lead to menstrual issues, acne, and excess hair growth.

Post-Pill PCOS

Stopping hormonal birth control can temporarily cause certain symptoms typically associated with PCOS in some people. During this adjustment period, some experience a rise in androgens, leading to symptoms like acne, oily skin, and unwanted hair growth. It might take a while for your menstrual cycle to return to normal. If you were prescribed birth control to manage existing PCOS, the symptoms returning after you stop the pill isn't post-pill PCOS; it’s your original PCOS coming back. Women with true post-pill PCOS usually had regular periods before starting birth control. Unlike regular PCOS, post-pill PCOS is temporary and should improve over time.