National Institutes of Health awards The Research OutSmarts Endometriosis team an $850,000 prize over one year to accelerate the development of a non-invasive diagnostic test
MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Endometriosis, a chronic and often debilitating condition, affects roughly 10 percent of women and adolescents of reproductive age. Characterized by endometrial-like tissue growing outside the uterus, it frequently causes severe pain, infertility and a significant reduction in quality of life – including job loss, financial burdens and trouble forming and maintaining relationships. Despite its prevalence, why do patients frequently face years, even decades, before a surgical diagnosis, and what must be done to improve diagnostic tools for endometriosis?
To answer these questions, investigators at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have, for more than a decade, been at the forefront of addressing this diagnostic gap. Christine N. Metz, PhD, and Peter K. Gregersen, MD, lead the Research OutSmarts Endometriosis (ROSE) study and have been working on developing a fast, easy and noninvasive test using a person’s menstrual blood to identify the disorder.
The ROSE study, which began in 2013, compares the menstrual discharge, or effluent, of women with and without endometriosis, searching for distinct biological markers that could be used to diagnose the disease, without the need for invasive surgery. Menstrual flow contains tissue from the endometrium (uterine lining), and it is well-documented that women with endometriosis have altered cells in their uterine lining. The study, which has already enrolled more than 3,700 participants, is one of the first attempts to translate these cellular differences into a diagnostic test.
“Many women tell us they’ve been dismissed by doctors, friends, coworkers, and even parents,” said Dr. Metz, professor in the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes. “Our goal with the ROSE study is to provide a reliable, early diagnostic tool that validates their experiences and enables timely treatment.”
Endometriosis lesions commonly adhere to various organs in the pelvic cavity – such as the uterus, ovaries, bladder, and rectum – often causing severe pain during hormonal fluctuations. The symptoms are complex and can be easily missed or misinterpreted by health care providers. On average, women visit six different health care providers over several years before receiving a diagnosis.
Building on laboratory discoveries and clinical research data, Drs. Metz and Gregersen launched the ROSE II clinical trial in 2022. This study is actively recruiting women across the country, between 18 and 40 years old, who suspect they may have endometriosis and are scheduled for diagnostic endometriosis surgery. Researchers analyze the trial participants’ menstrual blood (collected by participants at home) to compare the results with their laparoscopic surgery findings to validate the accuracy of the menstrual blood diagnostic test.
Both the ROSE and ROSE II studies are working towards the same goal: Food and Drug Administration approval for this one-of-a-kind diagnostic test for endometriosis with the hope that one day analyzing menstrual effluent will become a routine aspect of a gynecological visit.
To further their research, this month – Endometriosis Awareness Month – the ROSE team received a $500,000 prize from the National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Technology (RADx Tech) program; this tops the $350,000 the team won over the past year from RADx making the entire prize $850,000. The RADx Tech initiative, originally established to speed the development of innovative diagnostic tests, expands its focus to critical health challenges, including conditions like endometriosis, by supporting advanced technology platforms and rapid development pathways.
“Receiving this RADx Tech prize is a tremendous endorsement of the critical work we’ve been doing since 2013,” said Dr. Gregersen, professor in the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes. “This federal support acknowledges the vital need and promise of our research in transforming endometriosis diagnosis from a long, arduous process into a simple, effective screening. This funding is crucial for moving our innovations from the lab to patients’ lives.”
The ROSE study team was also the recipient of a $1 million award at the 2018 Northwell Innovation Challenge, a Northwell “Shark Tank”-style competition, for their research. Northwell Innovations continues to support the team’s development of this important diagnostic.
About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.
Contacts
Julianne Mosher Allen
516-880-4824
jmosherallen@northwell.edu
