our research
When you get care through us, you're part of rewriting what gynecology knows about vaginal health.
The VENUS study
Closing a gap that has cost women decades of answers.
Only 4% of all healthcare research and development is dedicated to women's health. The vaginal microbiome, despite its central role in infection, immunity, and overall wellbeing, remains one of the most understudied areas in all of medicine.
The Vaginal Ecosystem and Network Understanding Study (VENUS) is changing that. Developed by Vaginal Biome Science, VENUS is one of the most comprehensive vaginal microbiome registries ever conducted. Its goal: to understand exactly how microbial composition, antibiotic resistance, and individual variation connect to the conditions that affect millions of women, and to build a foundation for diagnosis and treatment that is precise, not approximate.
We imagine a future where early diagnosis and targeted therapies along with microbiome maintenance strategies significantly improve patient outcomes.
Kimberly Capone, PhD
Chief Science Officer, Vaginal Biome Science and Good Clean Clinical Care
The conditions under study span the full breadth of what women are most commonly diagnosed with but least well served by, from bacterial vaginosis and recurrent yeast infections to genitourinary syndrome of menopause, lichen sclerosis, and endometriosis.
Bacterial vaginosis
Candidiasis
Genitourinary syndrome of menopause
Lichen sclerosis
Endometriosis
Chronic vulvar disorders
+ 6 more
The science behind it
Rigorous by design. Built to change the standard of care.
VENUS is an IRB-approved, cross-sectional observational study, the kind of methodological rigor that makes findings publishable, replicable, and actionable for the field. What makes it distinctive is the depth of analysis at the point of clinical diagnosis.
Using both whole-genome sequencing and a proprietary qPCR-based vaginal microbiota panel, VENUS maps the microbial landscape of each participant's vaginal ecosystem at the time their condition is identified, creating a first-of-its-kind dataset linking microbiome state directly to clinical presentation.
20
actively enrolling clinical sites
12
gynecological conditions under study
IRB
approved
The hypothesis at the heart of VENUS is that each gynecological condition carries a unique microbial signature, and that by identifying those signatures, clinicians can move away from the blanket, often repeated use of antibiotics toward treatments that are targeted, personalized, and genuinely effective.
Why it matters to you
Every visit benefits from the science we're building.
The insights generated through the VENUS study help inform how care is delivered through GCCC. As we identify microbial signatures associated with the conditions most commonly affecting women, that knowledge helps shape how our clinicians assess symptoms, consider testing insights, and evaluate treatment options, moving away from generic protocols toward care that reflects what the science is helping us understand.
This is care designed to get better over time. Not just for the women who participate in VENUS, but for every patient who comes to GCCC looking for clearer answers and more individualized support.
