{"id":48932,"date":"2022-05-05T16:07:53","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T06:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au?post_type=hdsn_news_post&p=48932"},"modified":"2024-10-16T15:14:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T04:14:53","slug":"dr-caitlin-filby-endometriosis-detection","status":"publish","type":"hdsn_news_post","link":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/news\/dr-caitlin-filby-endometriosis-detection\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Caitlin Filby – endometriosis detection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The ultimate goal of this research is to find a safe, reliable and early method of endometriosis detection that avoids the need for surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Dr
Dr Caitlin Filby<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With the average time between symptom onset and diagnosis currently 7-10 years, earlier endometriosis detection is crucial, but so is better care for people living with the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Caitlin Filby is tackling both those challenges with creativity and innovation, and the key lies in something that\u2019s usually disposed of as waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Filby believes menstrual fluid could provide much earlier endometriosis detection and diagnosis, and potentially, clues to the best forms of treatment for each sufferer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is one of a number of researchers at Hudson Institute who are taking a closer look at menstrual fluid as a valuable tool for diagnosis and treatment testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her research showed that from one period to the next the composition of a woman\u2019s menstrual fluid is relatively stable, allowing them to establish a baseline for testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-invasive endometriosis detection test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWe would love to be able to offer women a simple and painless menstrual fluid test to confirm their suspicions of endometriosis<\/a>,\u201d Dr Filby says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA non-invasive menstrual fluid test would help uncover the undiagnosed population of women with endometriosis, allowing girls and women to access healthcare early and prevent disease progression.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Tailored endometriosis treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But the benefits of her research don\u2019t stop there \u2013 she has teamed up with a world leader in bioengineering, Professor Linda Griffith, to extend her endometrial \u2019organ-on-a-chip\u2019 using organoids obtained non-invasively from menstrual fluid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cEndometrial organoids are miniature organs in a dish that model the endometrial tissue that forms endometriosis lesions and so they can help us understand the response of the endometrium to different medications, both existing and new drugs,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause different women can respond differently to the same treatment, menstrual fluid organoids may allow us to determine a\u00a0treatment pathway tailored to each woman\u2019s specific symptoms, prior to surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey could one day allow women to \u2018try before you buy\u2019 \u2013 the ability to non-invasively test a range of different medications in a dish in the lab before commencing treatment using the medication most suited to them,\u201d Dr Filby says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This endometriosis research is supported by The Ritchie Centre human tissue bank \u2013 an archival and virtual resource that collects tissue samples with minimal impact on the participants. These samples are well documented, with both participants and surgeons completing a comprehensive endometriosis questionnaire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tissues include endometriosis lesions and hysterectomy endometrium, which can be stored for future analysis, or used for generating endometrial epithelial organoids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these technologies come together to create a vision of a day \u2013 hopefully in the near future \u2013 when endometriosis detection is earlier and treatment better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hudson News Winter 2022<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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Hudson News Winter 2022<\/h3>\n \n \n \n <\/g>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n \n
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Kirstin\u2019s stillbirth story\u00a0<\/h3>\n \n \n \n <\/g>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n \n
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