1. Endometriosis
Nikka Gribanovsky

2. Background
What is it?

3. Who is Affected?

4. 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

5. Reproductive Issue and Women’s Issue
Stigma
Reproductive Issue and Women’s Issue

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

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

19. -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

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

21. 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?

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

23. Bibliography (Websites)
109.php
356.php
#Functions_in_bacteria
cell-surface-markers

24. Bibliography (Images)
system-used-to-control-post-transcriptional-gene

25. Thank You