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PULLMAN, Wash. - Researchers at Washington State University have developed a new treatment for endometriosis that shows rapid effectiveness in early tests.
Endometriosis is a chronic, incurable, debilitating disease where tissue similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. This tissue thickens, breaks down and bleeds during menstrual cycles in areas it shouldn't — in the ovaries, fallopian tubes and tissue lining the pelvis. The condition causes lesions, cysts and scar tissue, and causes chronic pain and fertility issues.
The condition affects 1 in 10 women, and can cause years of immense pain.
WSU develops ‘early treatment’ for endometriosis
The WSU School of Molecular Biosciences has developed a drug treatment using targeted nanotherapy, injecting a nanoparticle of the common drug Niclosamide into the affected tissue.
Niclosamide is ordinarily used to treat tapeworms.
After just a single dose, researchers reported that endometriosis symptoms and disease progression were reduced.
What they're saying:
"We found the disease-specific immune cell, and then we had a drug, but we couldn’t target the cell with the drug alone," said WSU professor Kanako Hayashi. "So we used this nanocarrier that delivers the drug specifically to the disease site."
Hayashi co-authored the study with former WSU chemistry professor Anjali Sharma, former WSU business development director Rishi Sharma, student-researchers Anubhav Dhull, Mingxin Shi, Madeleine Harvey and Taylor Page, as well as researchers from the University of Florida.
Microphotograph of a section of human endometrium during the intermenstrual phase. (Photo by DeAgostini // Getty Images)
What is the current treatment for endometriosis?
As the condition is incurable, many women undergo hormonal therapies to manage symptoms, but these often cause problems with fertility and bone density. In other cases, lesions can be surgically removed, though this is only a temporary solution.
Dig deeper:
WSU researchers previously identified a population of macrophages connected to endometriosis, which they believed they could directly deliver drugs to using a "nanocarrier," a molecule which can go directly to the diseased area without affecting surrounding cells and tissue.
While Niclosamide shows promising results in treating endometriosis in mice, researchers say there are drawbacks.
Firstly, the drug has low solubility, meaning someone undergoing this therapy would have to take large doses of Niclosamide for it to be effective.
Hayashi says that is a major limitation for a disease which requires years — or decades — of treatment.
"Although we still need to clear multiple phases, this study is telling us the efficacy is strong, and this nanocarrier is stable, so far, for two weeks — and we think we can go longer," said Hayashi. "The idea is that if it’s stable for a month, you could go to the doctor once a month, get the shot, either IV or muscle injection, and then go home."
What's next:
The WSU Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is currently inquiring about human trials, as well as patenting and commercializing the treatment.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from Washington State University and the Mayo Clinic.