Genetic Cause of Endometriosis and Potential Drug Target

New research conducted by the University of Oxford in partnership with several American institutions has revealed a potential cause of endometriosis and a nonhormonal drug target that may lead to improved therapy for this condition. 

Endometriosis is when the kind of tissue that normally lines the uterus grows somewhere else. It can grow on the ovaries, behind the uterus or on the bowels or bladder. Rarely, it grows in other parts of the body. This “misplaced” tissue can cause pain, infertility, and very heavy periods.

“This is an exciting new development in our quest for new treatments of endometriosis, a debilitating and underrecognized disease affecting 190 million women worldwide. We need to do further research on the mechanism of action and the role of the genetic variants in the modulation of the gene’s effects in specific tissues,” said Krina Zondervan, head of the Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford and co-director of the Endometriosis Care Centre. 

For the full article, click here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-08-26-researchers-identify-genetic-cause-endometriosis-and-potential-drug-target