MHH is participating in a BMBF project and wants to build a comprehensive database
Endometriosis can have a negative impact on the course of pregnancy. Copyright: Karin Kaiser / MHH
Endometriosis is a benign but chronic disease. About ten to 15 per cent of all women of childbearing age are affected. In these women, tissue that resembles the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. While some patients are completely unaware of their condition, others suffer from severe pain or a range of other symptoms. Because endometriosis is difficult to diagnose, it is often referred to in the medical world as the "chameleon of gynaecology".
Women affected often have to wait years for a diagnosis. To ensure that the disease can be recognised and treated more quickly in the future, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is now funding five research associations. One of these is called ENDOFERT and, under the leadership of the University Medical Centre Münster, is investigating the connection between endometriosis and infertility, as well as difficult pregnancies. A team led by Professor Dr Frauke von Versen-Höynck, senior physician at the Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the Hannover Medical School (MHH), is participating in the project and will receive 800,000 euros in funding.
Simulating real conditions in 3D models
The cause of the disease is not yet fully understood. Hormones, the immune system and a family predisposition are thought to play a role. It often takes many years before sufferers receive a diagnosis. Current treatments range from drug therapies to extensive surgery and mainly relieve the symptoms. The ENDOFERT project is now to investigate the disease mechanisms at the molecular level. To do this, the researchers want to develop a three-dimensional endometriosis organoid model that can better simulate the real conditions in the body than the two-dimensional cell cultures that have been used to date, which grow on culture plates. "At the MHH, we want to use this 3D model to understand how endometrial cells communicate and interact with the vascular cells in their immediate environment," says Professor von Versen-Höynck, Head of the Reproductive Medicine and Molecular Perinatology Research Group.
In addition, the researchers want to combine data and biological samples from patients from different sources in order to build up a comprehensive database. However, to ensure data and samples are comparable, the existing data and biomaterial collections from all locations must first be adapted to a modern biobanking concept. "The MHH will be in charge of biobanking. The data will be collected by all partners and entered into the database, which will then be accessible to all of them," explains Professor von Versen-Höynck. This unified database should help to decipher the development of the disease at the cellular level. The storage of blood samples will also be centralised, with samples from all locations being transferred to the Hannover Unified Bank in Hannover. "With ENDOFERT, we want to develop a comprehensive, well-characterised sample archive and discover novel biomarkers, gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the disease and find possible approaches for new drugs." The researchers hope that the results of the project could then improve the quality of life of patients affected by endometriosis.
Text: Kirsten Pötzke