This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skodowska-Curie grant agreement No 691058. MOMENDO is a cooperation of universities, research groups, and two companies, all working in the sector of biomedical research. Scientists from Argentina, Chile, Germany, Scotland, and Sweden work on different aspects of the same aim: Finding out more about molecular mechanics of endometriosis in order to reduce the effects of this painful disease one day. Endometriosis (the presence of endometrial-like tissue or ‘lesions’ outside the uterus) is a chronic inflammatory
disease affecting 6-10% of reproductive age women. It is associated with pelvic pain, painful periods, pain with
sexual intercourse, and subfertility. The socioeconomic impacts of endometriosis are considerable. The recent WERF
EndoCost study (a worldwide cost-of-illness study) reported that endometriosis reduced work productivity in 51% and
negatively affected relationships in 50% of women with endometriosis. Current treatment options include invasive
and repeated surgeries, or hormonal suppression with significant side effects analogous to a premature menopause. While several general concepts of the etiology of the disease such as retrograde menstruation, coelomic metaplasia,
lymphovascular metastasis or the embryonic rest theory have been developed, the molecular mechanisms underlying
the disease are currently still incompletely understood, hampering the development of efficient targeted therapies
with limited side effects. MOMENDO utilizes the potential of an interdisciplinary consortium of leading world
endometriosis experts to provide a deeper understanding of key molecular processes contributing to disease etiology
and progression. By employing a wide range of experimental methods (biomarker and epigenetic studies on patient
tissues, advanced animal models of the disease, proprietary atomic force microscopy for marker-free diagnostics)
and novel and innovative conceptual approaches (adult stem cells, microRNAs, iron-induced inflammatory
responses, novel endocrine concepts), MOMENDO will substantially contribute to a deeper understanding of the
molecular mechanisms that explain the inflammatory pain associated with endometriosis and the persistent growth
of endometriosis lesions. By combining the respective strengths of non-academic and clinical partners, MOMENDO
expect to successfully translate these findings into novel therapeutic approaches.
