A kickoff event for EndoRise, a new initiative designed to “improve awareness and health outcomes in Connecticut while driving research breakthroughs that will impact women across the nation and beyond,” was held on June 6 at The Jackson Laboratory in Farmington, Conn.
The afternoon included a press conference detailing EndoRise’s goals, several speakers on endometriosis, and breakout groups of researchers, healthcare providers, and endometriosis patients and advocates. The speakers were Karen Tang, MD, known globally for her leadership in reproductive health; Heather Guidone, program director for the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta; Connecticut Rep. Jillian Gilchrist; and Dan Martin, MD, EndoFound’s executive and medical director.
“If it has to do with endometriosis, it’s part of EndoRise’s purpose,” Dr. Martin said. “From education to awareness to patient support to early detection.” Other focuses include etiology, effective treatments, and prevention and recurrence.
EndoRise was established in 2023 through a collaboration between The Jackson Laboratory, UConn Health, and Rep. Gilchrest’s Endometriosis Working Group. The Endometriosis Working Group was formed in 2021 to bring more public awareness and research to endometriosis. Connecticut’s House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to start EndoRise in May 2023, and the Senate unanimously passed it a month later.
EndoFound awarded The Jackson Laboratory a $50,000 research grant this spring for its project, “Modeling Endometriosis: Uncovering the Role of Dendritic Cells (DCs) in Perpetuating Disease.” The research aims to “develop and characterize a robust source of dendritic immune cells from human-induced stem cells to establish an in vitro 3D cellular system to study dendritic immune cells in endometriosis.”
EndoRise’s approach includes:
- The creation of the Connecticut Data and Biorepository, a diverse data and specimen biorepository to enable research, clinical, and industry collaborations.
- The education of healthcare providers, students, and frontline professionals about endometriosis diagnosis and best practices.
- Serving as a centralized resource to disseminate information and raise public awareness about the disease.
To learn more about endometriosis and EndoRise or to become involved in the initiative, visit www.ctendorise.org.
