[The Straits Times] Stem cells from menstrual blood: Femtech co-founder inspired by girlfriend’s periods
NUS Computing Business Analytics alumnus Kyle Lao was featured in The Straits Times (ST) for MenSC Labs, the femtech start-up he co-founded to work with stem cells from menstrual blood for women's health.
Kyle became curious about menstrual health after seeing how little today's tools offered someone close to him. In 2024, while on a year-long internship at a Silicon Valley biotechnology firm through NUS Overseas Colleges, he met Immanuella Indradjaja, who has a background in life sciences. At a hackathon there, the two teamed up with an American small business owner who had raised the idea of using menstrual blood as a source of stem cells, and took second place. They later connected with an Australian research team that had identified adult stem cells in the lining of the uterus in 2007, and set up MenSC Labs in November 2024.
Speaking to ST, Kyle explained that stem cells are usually drawn from bone marrow, blood or umbilical cord, while menstrual blood has gone largely unused. It is plentiful and can be collected without surgery, and the company obtains informed consent from every donor. Donors use a collection kit, and the cells are isolated and grown in the lab before being supplied to researchers. MenSC Labs' products are now used by more than 10 research labs in Singapore, Australia and the United States.
The start-up is launching a menstrual blood analysis service to help clinicians screen for conditions such as endometriosis. Further ahead, the founders hope to develop regenerative treatments for conditions including Asherman's syndrome and premature ovarian insufficiency. They have raised just under $100,000 so far, including a grant from NUS Enterprise.
Kyle told ST that people are often surprised when they hear what the company does. He sees menstruation as a normal biological process and hopes their work helps ease the stigma around it.