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Vaginal prosthetics known as pessaries are a critical tool for the maintenance of pelvic health in women. They are used as a first-line treatment for pelvic organ prolapse, a common condition that occurs when the muscles of the pelvis weaken, causing organs to drop into the vagina. But these devices are badly in need of an upgrade. Their failure rate is high, and the designs have changed little in the last 70 years.

At Montreal-based FemTherapeutics, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Inara Lalani (BCom’20) is helping lead efforts to harness the power of new technologies—such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence—to bring pessaries into the 21st century. In 2019, the FemTherapeutics team won the Steinberg Centre Simnovation Prize at the McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Clinical Innovation Competition (CLIC) and took second place in the Health Sciences Track at the McGill Dobson Cup Competition powered by National Bank.

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