ETH and Empa researchers develop implant to treat endometriosis

An interdisciplinary research team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) has developed a hydrogel implant to treat the widespread gynecological disorder of endometriosis, while at the same time preventing unplanned pregnancies. This material, a type of plastic with the ability to bind water, successfully blocks the fallopian tubes, further details of which can be found in a press release.

Endometriosis, one of the most common gynecological diseases, involves benign, often painful growths of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterine cavity. One of the proposed theories regarding the origin of this disease is that during menstruation, blood flows back along the fallopian tubes and into the abdominal cavity. This blood, which contains cells from the uterine lining, can then settle in the abdominal cavity. The hydrogel implant is able to successfully block the fallopian tubes mechanically, thereby preventing blood from flowing back. Hydrogels only swell when they come into contact with liquid. The implant developed by the researchers initially measures just two millimeters in length and would only reach its required size once inserted in the fallopian tube.

“We discovered that the implant had to be made of an extremely soft gel – similar in consistency to a jelly baby – that does not impact native tissue and is not treated and rejected as a foreign body”, as lead author of the study, Alexandre Anthis from the Nanoparticle Systems Engineering Lab at ETH and Particles-Biology Interactions Lab at Empa, explains in the press release. As is the case with implanting the hydrogel, it can also be removed in a non-surgical manner. However, further clarifications are required before it is ready for the market. The team is now looking for industrial and academic cooperation partners, and a patent has already been filed. ce/eb