Program seeks Council approval to reissue the initiative “Integrative Research in Gynecologic Health.” to encourage integrated and synergistic research in the study of uterine fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, gynecologic pain syndromes, and/or pelvic floor disorders.
The gynecologic conditions covered by this initiative can severely impact quality of life and are highly prevalent; a majority of women will develop at least one of these conditions in their lives and many will have symptoms requiring medical or surgical interventions. Detrimental effects of these conditions include abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic adhesions, chronic pelvic pain, infertility, miscarriage, and preterm labor, as well as substantial psychosocial morbidity including depression. The financial burden of these conditions is very high, with endometriosis and fibroids alone costing the United States between $28-56 billion every year.
The return on investment for the previous announcement has been exceptionally high. Thirty (30) applications were received; funding could only support two full applications and a single aim of third. Over 40 publications have acknowledged funding from this RFA; portfolio analysis suggests that approximately 16 proposals were submitted with 5 ultimately funded as follow-up to the initial call. All initial submissions were within the first 2 years following the first announcement, suggesting the benefits of providing another stimulus. The large number and range of submissions establishes investigator enthusiasm, while the large number of unfunded applications demonstrates remaining untapped potential.
This initiative seeks to advance knowledge about these conditions and accelerate identification of pathways for effective treatment by encouraging partnerships between experts in basic and clinical research to conduct integrated and synergistic research studies to accelerate the transfer of scientific knowledge from bench to bedside and back again. This initiative will support both the mechanistic and scientific priorities of the branch by enabling transdisciplinary projects in emerging scientific arenas, such as the role of stem cells in the pathophysiology of, or treatment for, gynecologic conditions and/or the application of state-of-the-art genetic/genomic technologies to research and treatment of these disorders.
This proposal directly supports the 2020 NICHD Strategic Plan by addressing an Aspirational goal (“accelerate efforts to definitively diagnose, prevent, and treat endometriosis”), Theme 2 (“Promoting Gynecologic, Andrologic, and Reproductive Health,” and Implementation Objective (“[support research on] progenitor/stem cell regeneration methods for gynecologic and andrologic tissues”).
Program Contact
Candace Tingen
Gynecologic Health & Disease Branch (GHDB)
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