Scientists have developed a new approach for detecting endometriosis, which is set to transform how the disease is researched, diagnosed and treated.
In a world-first clinical study, published in the journal Nature Communications Medicine in May, Spanish scientists tested a diagnostic process that involves directly isolating menstrual blood-derived stem cells (MenSCs) from menstrual blood samples for analysis, rather than analysing cultured cells.
MenSCs are believed to be the cells that drive lesion formation in endometriosis.
Culturing the cells (i.e. removing them from a patient and growing them in a lab) alters their make-up, whereas freshly isolating the cells without culturing preserves their molecular integrity.
This enables a deeper and more direct view into how endometriosis behaves.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows in other parts of the body.
It affects approximately one in 10 women and causes pain, fatigue and infertility.
But diagnosis takes an average of seven to 10 years.
In the study, the scientists analysed freshly-isolated MenSCs using a process called DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) methylation profiling, which is already widely used to diagnose cancer.
They were able to distinguish participants with endometriosis from those without with an accuracy rate of 81%.
This approach means that menstrual blood samples can be used to accurately diagnose and categorise endometriosis.
This is a significantly less invasive process for patients than the current diagnostic gold standard, which involves a surgical procedure called a laparoscopy.
It also enables scientists to uncover critical information about the disease that can’t currently be provided by diagnostic imaging or biopsies.
The researchers hope that the new technology will enable clinicians to detect endometriosis far earlier and without surgical intervention, reducing endometriosis diagnosis times from years to just a few weeks.
The team also hopes to lay the foundation for the development of targeted therapies to treat different types of endometriosis.
The study was carried out by researchers at Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria and Hospital Clínic Barcelona, and led by Paris-based French and Spanish precision medicine organisation endogene.bio.
endogene.bio co-founder and CEO Dr María Teresa Pérez Zaballos shares: “Many members of our team are endometriosis patients themselves, myself included.
“Our firsthand understanding of the diagnostic delays, clinical blind spots and emotional toll of endometriosis shapes every decision we make, from sample collection design to clinical priorities.”
The researchers will next validate the approach using a larger group of patients with the goal of developing a non-invasive diagnostic test for endometriosis.
