The translational challenge in the development of new and effective therapies for endometriosis: a review of confidence from published preclinical efficacy studies

Nick Pullen, Claire L Birch, Garry J Douglas, Qasim Hussain, Ingrid Pruimboom-Brees, Ingrid Pruimboom‐Brees, Rosalind J Walley, Rosalind Walley
Human reproduction update · 2011 · vol. 17(6) , pp. 791–802 · doi:10.1093/humupd/dmr030 · PMID:21733981 · W2108636417
review OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 26 in-corpus citations
📄 Open PDF View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This review of 94 preclinical efficacy studies on endometriosis treatments found a lack of consensus on optimal models and endpoints, with most studies failing to report bias mitigation or target engagement.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a benign gynaecological condition that presents symptoms of chronic pelvic pain and the ectopic growth of endometrial lesions at sites on the peritoneum. Few new approaches to the management of the disease symptoms and progression have emerged in decades. The cornerstone of developing new therapies is the confidence and translational value placed in the preclinical models used to assess efficacy of emerging approaches. METHODS: We systematically reviewed preclinical efficacy data from rodent and non-human primates, evaluating the effects of an investigational agent or target reported in PubMed between 2000 and 2010. We evaluated the reports for which model and end-points had been used to determine efficacy, whether there was evidence of independent replication, whether techniques had been incorporated into the experimental design to eliminate potential bias and whether there was a confirmation of drug exposure or target engagement in the study. RESULTS: We identified 94 publications that met our criteria for review. Efficacy studies were conducted in a wider range of different models with no clear consensus on which model or end-point has the most translational value. The large majority of studies either did not report what measures were incorporated into the design to address potential bias or account for it or did not confirm whether the specified target was engaged. CONCLUSIONS: Greater scrutiny of the preclinical efficacy models, end-points and experimental designs is needed if the desire of translating novel treatment approaches is to be realized for women with endometriosis.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosischronic_pelvic_pain

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Animals Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors Disease Models, Animal Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Primates Rodentia Translational Research, Biomedical Translational Research, Biomedical Translational Research, Biomedical Treatment Outcome

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (75)

Cited by (26)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-06-04T01:30:01.192114+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:16:35.898691+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK