adyn

adyn is a Seattle-based precision medicine company whose flagship product, The Birth Control Test, is marketed as the first and only test designed to prevent birth control side effects. Customers collect samples at home: saliva is used for DNA analysis and a finger-prick blood sample is used to measure levels of six key hormones. Samples are processed at CLIA-certified laboratories, and results are interpreted against a body of peer-reviewed research (the company cites over 50 studies in its FAQ and 60+ publications elsewhere on its site) to estimate an individual's risk of specific side effects across available contraceptive options.

Results are combined with the customer's medical history, prior experiences, preferences, and health goals and reviewed in a virtual visit with a licensed medical provider trained in contraceptive counseling. Recommendations cover all highly effective methods — IUDs, the pill, shot, ring, implant, and patch — as well as specific formulations, and the provider can issue a prescription that is shipped to the customer. The company also positions the service for ongoing hormone tracking over time as needs change. At the time of its 2021 seed announcement, the product was described as the Birth Control Optimization Test, assessing hormone baselines and genetic risk for blood clots and depression alongside the side effect profiles of estrogens and progestins used in hormonal contraception, with trained birth control specialists providing ongoing care through a telemedicine platform.

More broadly, adyn states a mission to make scientific discovery more inclusive, applying large inclusive datasets to personalized medicine for historically under-researched health conditions. The company name is derived from the Greek phrase "monadiki dynami" ("unique strength").

Founding story

Founder and CEO Elizabeth Ruzzo, PhD, attributes adyn to a combination of her research background and her own experience with birth control. Ruzzo earned her PhD in human genetics and genomics from Duke University, where she worked with next-generation sequencing and large datasets, and has reported linkages between more than 36 genes and specific human diseases; during a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA she used machine learning to identify 16 new autism genes. She has more than 20 peer-reviewed publications in journals including AJHG, Cell, Neuron, and Nature, and her awards include the Charles J. Epstein Trainee Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Research, the Jo Rae Wright Fellowship for Outstanding Women in Science, Neurobehavioral Genetics Fellow, the Ray J. Tysor Graduate Fellowship, and Rock Health's 2021 Top 50 in Digital Health. She states a personal motivation to close race and gender knowledge gaps in medical research, noting that birth control is also the most common medicine used to manage reproductive disorders such as endometriosis.

Business model

adyn sells a direct-to-consumer diagnostic package, The Birth Control Test, priced at $369 and eligible for HSA/FSA payment (SIG-IS number 86000949230). The purchase bundles at-home sample collection materials, laboratory analysis of genetic and hormone data, personalized results, and a virtual care visit (described as a 25-minute medical consultation) with a licensed provider who can order the test and write a prescription that is delivered to the customer. Insurance is not accepted at present; the test can also be bought as a gift, with the recipient redeeming a 100% off promo code. Free shipping is offered on orders.

Revenue comes from one-time consumer purchases of The Birth Control Test at $369, including collection materials, lab analysis, personalized results, and a virtual care visit; prescriptions can be fulfilled through the service. Gift purchases of the test provide an additional sales channel. Insurance is not accepted, though HSA and FSA funds are.

Traction

adyn cites customer outcome statistics on its site: 94% of users switched their birth control based on what they learned, 70% learned of a medical risk affecting their birth control, and 97% report confidence in their birth control selection. Y Combinator lists the company as active with a team size of 7 and multiple open roles. The company reports its product is award-winning and that team members' work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and media outlets.