Just a quick
update about a potentially interesting piece of research I noticed today.
Researchers have
identified a protein (called z13) that selectively binds to and is absorbed by,
endometriotic cells. In a way, finding this protein has been like the child’s
toy where you have a box with different shaped holes in it and you have to find
the right shaped peg to fit in the hole, except imagine you have a box with
tens of thousands of different holes and tens of thousands of accompanying pegs,
not an easy task. Now that this protein has been discovered it means we have a
way to target endometriosis specifically and ignore all other tissue and organs
in the body.
What the researchers
then did was attach other proteins to z13 which would induce cells to die. Effectively,
what they now had was an endo seeking missile. So far the researchers have
tested this on peritoneal endometriosis in baboons and found that the targeted
proteins caused the endometriotic cells to die whilst leaving the surrounding
tissue unharmed.
One of the
best things about this approach, from a patient perspective, is that this is
completely non-hormonal; no messing around with the ovaries, no pumping the
whole body with hormones, just targeting the disease itself.
Cautious optimism
aside, it may be a while before we see this approach translated into humans and
there are still many more tests to be done to make sure it is safe. Nevertheless
this shows that research is not continuously bogged down in the old ‘hormone
therapy’ mindset and people are exploring new and exciting possibilities and,
whilst this may not be a cure, it is a step in the right direction.
