The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded two University of Maryland researchers a $350,000 grant to advance new treatments for female reproductive system conditions.
In a two-year study, Assistant Professor Hannah Zierden and Professor and Chair Peter Kofinas, both of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, will collaborate with the FDA Centers of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation to explore the potential of absorbable polymer devices to prevent intrauterine adhesions. The work could lead to technologies to treat endometriosis, which impacts over 10% of reproductive-age women, causing chronic pain and sometimes leading to infertility, as well as other women’s health issues.
Post-surgical inflammation can lead to tissue adhesions, when organ surfaces stick to each other, potentially evolving into a life-threatening condition. Available treatments, including polymer-based devices, are often ineffective.
“Many of the existing regulatory science tools fail to focus on how novel medical devices will interact in the female body,” said Zierden, a member of the UMD Center of Excellence in Microbiome Sciences. “By examining polymer degradation in the context of female reproductive tract tissues and hormones, our work will establish important benchmarks for the translation of absorbable polymer devices for use in gynecologic and obstetric surgeries, with the potential to address existing disparities in women’s health.”
Zierden is an expert in nanotherapies, a type of medical treatment that uses tiny particles (nanoparticles) to deliver medicine directly to the cells that need it, while Kofinas is an expert in functional polymers for medical applications; together they will test advanced sprayable polymers in the female reproductive tract to evaluate their safety and biocompatibility.
In addition to endometriosis, the work could benefit those experiencing uterine fibroids and gynecologic cancer, among other conditions, as well as patients undergoing gender confirmation surgeries, hysterectomies, myomectomy and other procedures.
“This is a significant milestone in our efforts to address critical gaps in women’s health care,” Kofinas said. “Our work will focus on creating polymer devices that are safe, effective and tailored to the unique physiological conditions of the female reproductive system, ultimately aiming to enhance the quality of life for many women.”
—Story by Daniela Benites, Maryland Today