Endometriosis Research
To make a difference in endometriosis we need innovative team science. At Cedars-Sinai, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and physicians have grown a collaborative endometriosis research program comprising epidemiology, genetics, cell biology, pathology, immunology and epigenetics.
The BEME Study
We have developed the Prospective Cohort Study of Biologic and Epidemiologic Markers of Endometriosis (BEME) to evaluate new biomarkers for risk stratification and detection of endometriosis, and to understand disease heterogeneity.
The Biologic and Epidemiologic Markers of Endometriosis (BEME) study was one of the first steps toward building a program of endometriosis research at Cedars-Sinai. We are so grateful to our participants! Patients are eligible to enroll in the BEME study if they are scheduled for a surgery with Cedars-Sinai’s minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons. They are approached by research staff the week prior to the scheduled surgery. Patients scheduled for surgery who do not have endometriosis or are unsure of whether they have endometriosis are also very welcome to participate, as we also have researchers studying fibroids and other gynecologic conditions.


State-of-the-art genomic approaches to understanding an understudied disease
A disease as complex as endometriosis needs innovative and intricate experimental approaches to understand key outstanding questions—how does endometriosis arise? Why is there so much variety in symptoms and outcomes between patients? Can we identify non-invasive ways to detect it? Can we find new ways to treat it? Researchers at Cedars-Sinai continue to adopt the newest emerging genomics methods to unravel the many molecular conundrums of endometriosis and most importantly, find new ways to shorten the time to diagnosis and provide more treatment options for patients.
Our Experts in Endometriosis Research
Coordinated by Kate Lawrenson, PhD, our team of researchers are collaborating to learn more about endometriosis.
Publications
- Haro M, Lawrenson K. Dissecting endometriosis by single-cell transcriptomic and genomic analysis. Nat Genet 55, 168–169 (2023).
- Fonseca MAS*, Haro M*, Wright KN*, Lin X*, Abbasi F, Sun J, Hernandez L, Orr NL, Hong J, Choi-Kuaea Y, et al. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of endometriosis. Nat Genet. 2023 Feb.
- Mortlock S, Corona RI, Kho PF, Pharoah P, Seo JH, Freedman ML, Gayther SA, Siedhoff MT, Rogers PAW, Leuchter R, et al. A multi-level investigation of the genetic relationship between endometriosis and ovarian cancer histotypes. Cell Rep Med. 2022 Mar 15.
- Manek R*, Pakzamir E*, Mhawech-Fauceglia P, Pejovic T, Sowter H, Gayther SA, Lawrenson K. Targeting Src in endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer. Oncogenesis. 2016 Aug 15.
- Brueggmann D, Templeman C, Starzinski-Powitz A, Rao NP, Gayther SA, Lawrenson K. Novel three-dimensional in vitro models of ovarian endometriosis. J Ovarian Res. 2014 Feb 6.
- Lawrenson K, Lee N, Torres H, Lee JM, Brueggmann D, Rao PN, Noushmehr H, Gayther SA. Src as a novel therapeutic target for endometriosis. Gynecological Oncology. 2014 Jun 24.
Interested in Learning More?
We look forward to sharing our work and hearing about yours. Contact our team today.