New research seeks an mRNA therapy for heavy menstrual bleeding
A new research program at Penn Medicine is working to explore the underlying causes of abnormal uterine bleeding alongside a new mRNA treatment.
2 min. read
Every minute in the U.S., a woman requires a blood transfusion because of her period. “Heavy menstrual bleeding affects one in three women, but our resources for treating it are incredibly limited,” says Kathleen O’Neill, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the program director of the Uterine Transplant Program at the Perelman School of Medicine.
That may be about to change, thanks to a new research program O’Neill is leading to develop a new type of mRNA therapy—a platform that can be used to explore the underlying causes of abnormal uterine bleeding and also to treat it.
Kathleen O’Neill, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the program director of the Uterine Transplant Program.
(Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine)
This all-too-common symptom is often overlooked by health care professionals. No clear measure or marker exists to define what constitutes “normal” bleeding, and many women with heavy menstrual bleeding don’t even realize their cycles aren’t typical.
The new effort is funded through The Missed Vital Sign, a women’s health program launched by Wellcome Leap to accelerate breakthroughs in understanding and treating heavy menstrual bleeding, that will provide the team up to $5 million. Co-investigators on the project include Jilian Melamed, a research assistant professor of Infectious Diseases at Penn.
Through The Missed Vital Sign program overall, Wellcome Leap will invest $50 million in research to better quantify heavy menstrual bleeding, understand its causes, develop new treatments, and raise awareness among the public and health care providers about what normal menstrual bleeding is and isn’t. “The beauty of this program is that it’s trying to attack menstrual bleeding on all fronts,” O’Neill says.
O’Neill is collaborating with Melamed and others to develop a new type of treatment for endometrial dysfunction: a vaginal gel made of lipid nanoparticles that will deliver mRNA to the endometrial tissue in order to restore the production of proteins that are critical in limiting menstrual bleeding. Treatments based on mRNA gained fame for their role in developing COVID vaccines, but they have shown promise for treating a variety of diseases, from autoimmune diseases to cancers to cystic fibrosis. With this new therapy, the researchers plan to extend the use of lipid nanoparticle delivery of mRNA to the field of women’s health to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding.
Deepfakes, digital doubles, and the law: Jennifer Rothman on protecting identity in the AI era
The evolution of AI technology may require more robust copyright laws and guardrails that protect people’s control of their own identities, says the Penn Carey Law professor.
Bold ideas and innovation on display at the Fall Research Expo
On Sept. 15, hundreds of posters were presented throughout Houston Hall at the annual Fall Research Expo, representing the research projects of 410 undergraduate students conducted through the Center for Undergraduate Research.
Exposure to air pollution worsens Alzheimer’s disease
New research from Penn Medicine finds living in areas with high concentration of air pollution is associated with increased buildup of amyloid and tau proteins in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, accelerating cognitive decline.
