Recently, professor Zi-Jiang Chen and professor Han Zhao from State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Institute of Women, Children and Reproductive Health at Shandong University (SDU) led an international collaboration involving dozens of research teams worldwide in publishing a groundbreaking research paper titled "Data-driven subtypes of polycystic ovary syndrome and their association with clinical outcomes" in Nature Medicine.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine and metabolic disease affecting 11%-13% of women worldwide. It has complex clinical characteristics and strong heterogeneity, and the lack of a unified subtyping standard has restricted the development of personalized diagnosis and treatment. Through more than 20 years of accumulation, Professor Chen’s team has established the world's largest PCOS cohort (with over 40,000 cases). After strict statistical screening, nine commonly used clinical indicators were obtained, and AI algorithms were introduced to propose the first AI-based four-subtype classification for PCOS: hyperandrogenic PCOS (HA-PCOS), PCOS with obesity (OB-PCOS), high-sex hormone-binding globulin PCOS (SHBG-PCOS), and high LH-AMH PCOS (LH-PCOS). This system has been well verified in independent cohorts from multiple regions, including China, the United States, Europe, Singapore, and Brazil (AUC > 0.82), confirming its reliability and broad applicability.

The study further elucidated the distinct reproductive and metabolic prognoses associated with each subtype, supported by a 6.5-year follow-up and analysis of assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. To facilitate the clinical translation of these findings, the team has developed the PcosX online tool (www.pcos.org.cn) and the "PCOS Subtype Prediction" WeChat Application. By entering core clinical indicators, users can rapidly determine the PCOS subtype, enabling direct support for clinical decision-making and patient education. This work not only offers a novel perspective for understanding PCOS heterogeneity but also establishes a foundational framework for precision diagnosis and treatment. It holds the potential to reshape the global approach to PCOS management and deliver more accurate and efficient healthcare solutions to millions of affected women worldwide.

This research was supported from the following projects: the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Shandong Provincial Key Research and Development Program, the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province for Excellent Youth Scholars, CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences, the Taishan Scholars Program of Shandong Province, and Fundamental Research Funds of Shandong University.