New non-hormonal therapy for endometriosis wins MedChem Australia funding to fast-track drug discovery
L-R: A/Prof Celine Valant, Dr Thomas Tapmeier, Prof Beverley Vollenhoven
A new collaborative research project led by Senior Research Fellow Dr Thomas Tapmeier, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health and The Ritchie Centre at Monash University, alongside Associate Professor Celine Valant and Dr Trang Pham, both from Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Professor Beverley Vollenhoven, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health and Director of Gynaecology and Research, Women's and Newborn Program, Monash Health, has been awarded MedChem Australia drug discovery funding of over AUS$415,000 for 12 months.
This critical funding is set to fast-track the development of a revolutionary, non-hormonal treatment for endometriosis, offering hope to millions of women globally who suffer from this chronic inflammatory condition causing severe pelvic pain, inflammation and infertility. This incredibly common condition affects up to 10 percent of women of reproductive age, at considerable healthcare costs, comparable to those of treating type 2 diabetes.
Current treatment options are limited to painkillers, hormonal preparations or surgery. New and better treatments are urgently needed as existing hormonal preparations come with a host of side effects and actively suppress the menstrual cycle, with women left to choose between managing their excruciating pain and starting a family.
This project aims to develop new compounds that target the Neuropeptide S Receptor 1 (NPSR1), a genetically validated non-hormonal target. The NPSR1 protein is expressed on the inflammatory immune cells found in the peritoneal fluid in endometriosis.
In laboratory tests, blocking this protein in mouse models significantly reduced pelvic pain and decreased tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), a primary inflammation. This offers hope of developing a drug to treat endometriosis-related pain and inflammation without affecting the menstrual cycle.
When asked to comment on the project, Dr Tapmeier said “Having been selected by MedChem Australia as one of four new Discovery Projects is a fantastic boost to our efforts towards new and better treatments for endometriosis and will accelerate the development significantly”.