Friederike Luking Jayes

My current research focuses on uterine fibroids. These non-cancerous, often bulky and firm tumors have a major impact on women’s health, on quality of life and on health cost. They are a leading cause for hysterectomies and Black women are affected more severely and at a younger age. Medical treatment options mostly target hormone levels and are either short-lived or have significant side effects. The etiology of this disease remains poorly understood. Our research embraces a new direction in thinking about uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are more than neoplasms; they are a fibrotic disease. Abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major component of uterine fibroid tumors and we focus on the production and degradation of collagen within the fibroids, changing the mechanical forces within these tumors leading to changes in stiffness. We are currently testing the local injection of purified collagenase into uterine fibroids. This treatment option can be carried out under ultrasound control, is non-hormonal, and does not require surgery. I also collaborate with Dr. Darlene Taylor at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). She is a chemist who developed a co-polymer drug delivery system that is liquid at room temperature and gels at body temperature. Collagenase (or other anti-fibrotic drugs) injected into fibroids in combination with her co-polymer could extend the localization and activity of the drugs within the treated tumors, allow for lower dosages, and reduce the need for repeat injections.