Researchers identify genetic cause of endometriosis and potential drug target

Endometriosis is a painful, chronic condition in which tissue from the uterus inappropriately grows outside the uterus. Current treatments are limited and include surgery and hormone therapy, which can involve unwanted side effects. New research conducted by the University of Oxford, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Bayer AG, offers new insight into how to treat this debilitating disease. The researchers performed genetic analyses of humans and rhesus macaques to identify a specific gene, NPSR1 , that increases risk of suffering from endometriosis. The results reveal a potential new nonhormonal drug target that may lead to improved therapy. Their results are published in Science Translational Medicine . The Oxford team, led by Dr. Krina T. Zondervan, had previously found a genetic linkage to endometriosis on chromosome 7p13-15 by analysing DNA from families containing at least three women diagnosed with endometriosis.