A Direção da SPG atribuiu o prémio SGP 2020 ao projeto intitulado "Endometriosis – unravelling the intricate crosstalk among endometrium and adipose tissue in the search of novel therapeutic targets".

É com a maior satisfação que parabenizamos os vencedores e lhes entregamos o devido prémio, este ano totalmente suportado pela SPG. Projetos como o Prémio SPG são centrais na nossa missão de contribuir para o avanço da nossa especialidade.

Aos autores do projeto,

• Ana Sofia Fernandes MD – CHUSJ,
• Delminda Neves, PhD– FMUP (Coordinator of the laboratory component of the project)
• Henrique de Almeida, MD, PhD – FMUP,
• Alexandra Gouveia, PhD – FMUP,
• Adriana Rodrigues, PhD- i3s,
• Margarida Martinho, MD – CHUSJ,
• Ana Catarina Neto, Msc – PhD student FMUP,

desejamos a maior felicidade e força para continuar o bom trabalho.

Resumo do Projeto Vencedor:
Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent ectopic growth of endometrial tissue that is accompanied  by notable and enduring morbidity. To cope with this condition, there is a diversity of hormone therapy approaches, either steroid or peptide. However, despite their considerable success in the short-term, none is effective in the long-term without relevant side effects. To identify alternatives to hormone-based medication, we aim to test metformin. Besides lowering glycaemia, metformin intervenes in estrogen secretion, mitigation of inflammation and oxidation and reduction of ectopic endometrium growth. Metformin also prevents pathological browning and hypermetabolic response of adipose tissue-(AT), which associate with endometriosis.

In this setting, we intend to study cells isolated from eutopic and ectopic endometrium and AT of endometriosis patients submitted to surgery and to analyze blood markers of hypermetabolism. In cultured cells, we aim to characterize the secretoma of ectopic endometrium cells and to analyze its effect in cultured cells from eutopic endometrium and AT. This approach will lead to the identification of differentially expressed proteins and miRNAs in endometriosis, which roles will be identified in additional experiments of molecular silencing with siRNAs or overexpression. Metformin effect will be assayed in endometrium and AT cultured cells.

In this project, we expect to demonstrate that metformin is a valuable medication for the treatment of endometriosis, with impact in estrogen secretion, ectopic endometrium growth, pain and metabolism but not interfering with the desire of pregnancy. Considering the high prevalence of endometriosis and the scarcity of available treatments, new therapeutic strategies constitute an absolute clinical need.