In a first, Swiss researchers developed a hydrogel implant that will help in contraception and in preventing or halting the spread of endometriosis.
Approximately 10 per cent of women
suffer from endometriosis, a condition whose exact cause remains unclear. Women
with the condition have tissue similar to the lining of the uterus growing
outside the uterus. It is believed that during menstruation, blood flows back
through the fallopian tubes into the abdominal cavity, carrying uterine cells
that can lead to inflammation and scar tissue.
The team from ETH Zurich and Empa in
Switzerland initially focused on developing a hydrogel as a new contraceptive.
Later they found that implanting the hydrogel could occlude the fallopian tubes
and help prevent endometriosis.
Hydrogels, made of a water-binding
plastic, have previously been used in contact lenses, and drug delivery.
The new soft gel, similar to a jelly
baby, swells from about two millimetres to over double its size upon
implantation, creating a barrier against sperm and blood. It has to be a soft
gel so as to "not impact native tissue and is not treated and rejected as
a foreign body", said lead author Alexandre Anthis from ETH Zurich.
"We wanted to ensure that the
implant was compatible as well as stable," Anthis said. The gel can be
easily removed using UV light or a special solution, avoiding invasive surgery.
Further research is needed to assess
the long-term behaviour of the hydrogel implant during physical activities, the
team said.
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