P01HD106414

UCSF Stanford Endometriosis Center for Discovery, Innovation, Training, and Community Engagement - Abstract

Overall, endometriosis is a chronic, debilitating estrogen-dependent disease wherein tissue similar to the uterine lining (endometrium) is found mainly on pelvic tissues and organs. This condition causes an inflammatory response, scarring, pelvic pain, and infertility. It affects millions of reproductive-age women and severely impacts their quality of life and professional life. Additionally, it has a huge health economic impact of about $69B annually in the U.S.

While the etiology of endometriosis is uncertain, there is a profound dysfunction of the innate and adaptive immune systems associated with inefficient lesion clearance and pelvic and systemic inflammation. The heterogeneity of endometriosis lesions and disease phenotypes is reflected in variable pain symptom presentations, unpredictable fertility potential, uncertain disease pathophysiology, and unpredictable responses to medical therapies. There is also a high risk for symptom and disease recurrence after surgical resection, as well as risks for co-morbidities. Clinical classifications of endometriosis are maladapted to the heterogeneity of disease expression, resulting in a lack of efficient treatments for associated pain symptoms.

Herein, our UCSF Stanford Endometriosis Center for Discovery, Innovation, Training, and Community Engagement ("ENACT") proposes a comprehensive systems biology and precision medicine approach to endometriosis. We aim to study the unmet needs and challenges of endometriosis through transdisciplinary collaboration and scientific and technological innovations. Our approach involves integrating multi-omics data to dissect endometriosis disease mechanisms, identify phenotypic and environmental disease signatures, develop accurate disease stratification and diagnosis, and identify novel and repurposed drug classes to ameliorate pain symptoms.

To achieve these goals, our center is comprised of three independent and interactive projects and two cores, all focused on the central theme of endometriosis precision medicine. Project 1 will focus on underlying immunological mechanisms in endometriosis pathogenesis and pathophysiology. Project 2 will address developing a multi-omic disease classification that will inform diagnostic strategies, and Project 3 will leverage existing and newly generated large-scale omic data to identify and validate new therapeutic interventions. Our long-standing human endometrial tissue and DNA bank, along with our ongoing collaborations with a network of surgeons, will be a major resource for this center's projects.

The center will also have an administrative core and an education and community outreach core. The education and community outreach core will engage students from the Bay Area in our research programs and empower women in our community. It will also address health disparities associated with endometriosis.

To achieve these goals, we have assembled a multidisciplinary team of investigators at UCSF and Stanford University. Many of these investigators are new to endometriosis research. Additionally, we have educators, trainees, and community representatives who are all committed to improving the lives of women and teen girls with endometriosis. Integrating multiple disciplines, fostering collaborations among those who are new to endometriosis, training the next generation, and partnering with our community are key to the outcomes and impact of our endometriosis center.

San Francisco Regents Of The University Of California

NOT APPLICABLE

93.865 - Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) [HHS - NIH]

San Francisco, California 941432510 United States

Single Zip Code

Centers to Advance Research in Endometriosis (CARE) (P01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-HD-21-002)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 383% from $1,197,782 to $5,787,082.