A novel medical device for the treatment of endometriosis
Endometriosis is one of the most prevalent, impactful and undertreated disorders to affect European women. The condition is defined as an estrogen-dependent disorder, where endometrial tissue forms lesions outside the uterus resulting in chronic pain and infertility. Endometriosis affects an estimated 10% of European women in the reproductive-age group (176 million women worldwide and 10.7 million in the EU) with significant impact on their physical, mental, and social well-being (This impact is exacerbated by the fact that the correct diagnosis is made as late as 8–11 years after symptom presentation. Treatment delays are due to a lack of a reliable non-invasive diagnostic test, and the fact that the reference diagnostic standard is laparoscopy (invasive, expensive and not without risks). As there is no permanent cure for endometriosis, current therapies have three main goals: (i) to reduce pain; (ii) to increase the pregnancy rate for women who desire to have children and (iii) to delay recurrence for as long as possible. The EndoSolve project will develop the first medical device to treat the underlying mechanism of endometriosis, providing a long-term non-pharma treatment for the chronic disease.