Research: Treatment With Anti-TNF Monoclonal Antibody (c5N) Reduces the Effect of Induced Endometriosis in the Baboon
Awards: 3rd Place Medicine and Health Award, Somers Science Fair 2022
Mentor: Tyler Weisbarth
Research Location: Regeneron
Abstract:
Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder that is diagnosed in 2 to 10 percent of American women of childbearing age. Current treatment for endometriosis is reliant on the use of hormones and in more progressed stages, surgeries such as hysterectomies are employed. Anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies, such as c5N have been shown to slow endometriosis pathogenesis by addressing tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF). The purpose of this study is to address current inadequacies in endometriosis by testing the effectiveness of anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies in reducing endometriosis lesion severity. A study by Falconer et al. (2006) a sample of 18 baboons were given induced endometriosis, quarantined, and examined via laparoscopies on the 1st and 25th days of the menstrual cycle. The baboons were then sorted into randomized groups with one given a placebo and the other given an anti-TNF monoclonal antibody known as c5N. The baboons then underwent laparoscopies on the 25th day after the administration of the placebo or c5N. Lesions were then characterized and changes between treatments were examined. Following treatment, the volume of red lesions decreased in baboons given c5N compared to those given a placebo. Additionally, the administration of c5N caused a disappearance of lesions, however sample size needs to be expanded in order to confirm. It was observed that there was a shift from red lesions to white lesions, with white lesions being less commonly diagnosed with endometriosis. Anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies were found to be an effective treatment for endometriosis in the baboon, and as such monoclonal antibodies are a worthy potential treatment for human endometriosis, which could address the lack of effective and widely accessible treatment options.