Endometriosis Nikka Gribanovsky

Background What is it?

Who is Affected?

What causes it? -Unknown -Retrograde menstruation -Embryonic cell growth -Fetal development -Surgical scar -Endometrial cell transport -Genetics -faulty immune system -overproduction of the hormone estrogen

Reproductive Issue and Women’s Issue Stigma Reproductive Issue and Women’s Issue

the Horrors Reality Brings Cramps… the Horrors Reality Brings 92% of women with heavy menstrual cramps said that it caused them discomfort and frustration 68% said that it took over their lives and influenced their daily activities including 18% who said they had to miss work as a result of it

Why do We Care? Short-term Results Long-term Results Infertility Heavy menstrual cramps Chronic lower back or pelvic pains Longer periods (greater than seven days) Bowel or urinary problems Nausea and vomiting Inflammation Fatigue Spotting or bleeding at inappropriate parts of the month Painful sex Infertility Ovarian cancer Ovarian cysts Depression Scarring of the ovaries and fallopian tubes Can cause preterm labor in pregnant women Heavy menstrual cramps can also lead to anemia Short-term Results Long-term Results

Cure? As if Less Invasive But If that doesn’t work.. Meant to maintain symptoms Examples: Over the counter medications hormone control Meant as a last resort Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) Surgery results in terrible pain and the inability to get pregnant in the future

MIT Who? What? Trying to make a safer and less consequential treatment Prof. Katzenellenbogen and his colleagues What? Trying to make a safer and less consequential treatment

How did they do this? "Inflammation is a driver of endometriosis. At some point, you've got to turn it off, and these compounds turn it off by working through the estrogen receptors." Benita Katzenellenbogen.

What did their Research Prove? drugs stopped the growth of new neurons and the blood vessel support stopping or at least reducing the growth of endometrial tissue within unnecessary locations

What else did they learn? Decreased Inflammation The mice were overall healthier, including an increase in fertility

What did they do? cytokines can cause inflammation if pathogens aren’t present That’s what happens in endometriosis They took endometriosis patients and calculated the concentration of 50 different cytokines within the peritoneal fluid They found a macrophage which they believe triggers these cykotines

So why is their no cure? Other research Not many studies being done on how to address the issue Doing these experiments on primates has been restricted mice don’t naturally menstruate Therefore, tissue must be attached to the specific organs and then the representation may not be ideal

May not be realistic because direct cause of disease is unknown My Design May not be realistic because direct cause of disease is unknown Outline: bacteria that kills endometrial cells found outside of the uterus

Bacteria Must Be: Native to uterus Have the function of reducing endometrial growth Able to sense where it is (in uterus or not) because it needs to be able to destroy the cells where it shouldn’t be Able to sense if endometrial cell or not (because can’t destruct all cells) Able to communicate between its species Able to sense how thick lining is (how much endometrium presence there is) Able to self destruct after it stops being a problem and so the bacteria doesn’t spread throughout the entire body

CELL DIAGRAM Receptors: senses if endometrial cell or not Receptors: tells bacteria where it is located Receptors: senses if endometrial cell or not Marker protein (antigen): tells body that bacteria isn’t harmful CELL DIAGRAM Promoter: allows for transcription to start and turn on the gene Gene: reduces endometrial growth Receptors: Quorum Sensing *Genes that naturally reduce endometrial growth in uterus create Cytokines (which create inflammation)… so you would have to turn off the trait that does that* Biochemical Cascade Gene LYS Cytokines: target cell and cell dies Lysozyme: Kills cell

If Located Outside of Uterus If Endometrial Cell Endometrial Cell Would Die 1

-Gives the bacteria ability to communicate -In regards to how much endometrial lining there is it can help bacteria know how thick the lining is, by how much bacteria there is

Why this is great? Less invasive Less possible things that could go wrong More likely fully get rid of all endometriosis

Potential Problems It not working: cells not being able to sense where they are not being able to sense how thick the lining there is not being able to sense if endometrium cell or not How do you get it to the necessary locations?

Testing Testing technology is far off Can’t be tested on primates Eventually…. But for now, what’s important is educating on the issue

Bibliography (Websites) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149 109.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288 356.php http://web.mit.edu/cgr/research.html http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/775401 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipopolysaccharide #Functions_in_bacteria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostaglandin_E2 https://askabiologist.asu.edu/receptors-and- cell-surface-markers

Bibliography (Images) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149109.php http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/dont-suffer-period-pain-silence- 11014708 http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pony-reactions https://memegenerator.net/instance/32619347 https://memegenerator.net/instance/60001524 http://joyreactor.com/post/425188 http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Woo_Hoo http://www.sinobiological.com/Cytokines-information-cytokine.html http://www.christopherjamesclark.com/blog/low-carb-diets-decrease-inflammation/ http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443768804578036580428448760 https://www.pinterest.com/explore/monkeys/ http://animal-dream.com/monkey.html https://memegenerator.net/instance/56526751 http://molbio.princeton.edu/labs/bassler/research https://www.researchgate.net/figure/8498787_fig3_Figure-1-The-artificial-riboregulator- system-used-to-control-post-transcriptional-gene http://www.kappit.com/tag/yasss-meme/ http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/930538-fairly-odd-parents http://i.politicomments.com/sn

Thank You