Anti-IL-8 Antibody Gives New Hope to Endometriosis Patients

When it comes to menstruation, society has seemingly offered more brain power towards devising euphemisms than research of the process itself and associated conditions. Granted, this trend is due, in large part, to the historical demographic makeup of researchers being predominantly male, steering the bulk of medical research dollars and focus on conditions with the propensity to chiefly put those with male anatomy at risk. Thankfully, over the past few decades, the tides have shifted (pun not intended), and the diversification of researchers and scientists has invigorated a push to support menstruation research as part of an overall initiative to boost women’s health outcomes.

Already, the fruits of advocacy for expanded women’s health and menstruation research have begun to ripen. Published in Science Translational Medicine on February 22, new research out of Chugai Pharmaceutical Company offers a promising look towards a future with broader, more effective treatments for the nearly 190 million people worldwide affected by endometriosis.

Endometriosis is caused by the growth of tissue similar to the endometrium –the tissue that grows within the uterus— outside of the uterus. This tissue undergoes the same turnover cycle as the endometrium: it thickens, it breaks down, and it sheds. Tissue within the uterus is expelled from the body through the vagina. Tissue that grows outside of the uterus, however, is trapped. Without any means of exiting the body, the endometrial-like tissue can cause the formation of cysts called endometriomas and incite irritation of nearby tissue. The latter leads to the development of scar tissue and adhesions – fibrous tissue bands sticking pelvic tissues and organs to each other.  

Work from Nishimoto-Kakiuchi et al. aims to not only alleviate symptoms of endometriosis – which include painful periods, painful intercourse, pain with bowel movements or urination, excessive bleeding, and infertility, among other signs – but modify the disease itself. Through studying the progression of the disease in surgically-induced endometriosis monkey models, researchers found interlukin-8 (IL-8), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, as overexpressed in endometriotic tissue and associated cysts. Notably, IL-8 has been implicated in previous studies as a potential culprit in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The lab then engineered a long-acting anti-IL-8 antibody (AMY109) to bind IL-8 and inhibit its recruitment activity, mitigating the inflammatory response pathway. Monthly, intravenous treatment using AMY109 reduced the volume of lesions, as well as diminished fibrosis and adhesions.

So, how does this compare to current methods of treatment? As it stands, AMY109 is still in its earliest phases of testing. While the antibody gets to the root of the problem in endometriosis, treatment time to see desired results is fairly lengthy. Much work is left to be done to ensure the efficacy and safety of AMY109 for people with endometriosis. In spite of this, these early results serve as a beacon of hope, not just for endometriosis sufferers, but for the broader mission of moving science and medical advancement towards recognizing and working on behalf of gendered minorities who have been ignored centuries prior.