Objective
Endometriosis (the presence of endometrial-like tissue or ‘lesions’ outside the uterus) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting 6-10% of reproductive age women. It is associated with pelvic pain, painful periods, pain with sexual intercourse, and subfertility. The socioeconomic impacts of endometriosis are considerable. The recent WERF EndoCost study (a worldwide cost-of-illness study) reported that endometriosis reduced work productivity in 51% and negatively affected relationships in 50% of women with endometriosis. Current treatment options include invasive and repeated surgeries, or hormonal suppression with significant side effects analogous to a premature menopause. While several general concepts of the etiology of the disease such as retrograde menstruation, coelomic metaplasia, lymphovascular metastasis or the embryonic rest theory have been developed, the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease are currently still incompletely understood, hampering the development of efficient targeted therapies with limited side effects. MOMENDO utilizes the potential of an interdisciplinary consortium of leading world endometriosis experts to provide a deeper understanding of key molecular processes contributing to disease etiology and progression. By employing a wide range of experimental methods (biomarker and epigenetic studies on patient tissues, advanced animal models of the disease, proprietary atomic force microscopy for marker-free diagnostics) and novel and innovative conceptual approaches (adult stem cells, microRNAs, iron-induced inflammatory responses, novel endocrine concepts), MOMENDO will substantially contribute to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms that explain the inflammatory pain associated with endometriosis and the persistent growth of endometriosis lesions. By combining the respective strengths of non-academic and clinical partners, MOMENDO expect to successfully translate these findings into novel therapeutic approaches.
Fields of science
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug discovery
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic health
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinesurgery
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinflammatory diseases
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologycells technologiesstem cells
Programme(s)
Coordinator
48149 Muenster
Germany
See on map
Participants (6)
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
See on map
17177 Stockholm
See on map
10117 Berlin
See on map
48147 Muenster
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
EH16 4UX Edinburgh
See on map
50411 Tartu
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partners (2)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
C1425FQB Buenos Aires
See on map
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
10 Santiago
See on map