# A nanoparticle-based approach for surgical imaging and intraoperative treatment of endometriosis

> **NIH NIH R21** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $262,646

## Abstract

Project Summary/ Abstract:
Endometriosis is a painful disorder where endometrium-like tissue forms lesions outside of the uterine cavity.
The prevalent theory, the Sampson Hypothesis, is that endometrial fragments pass [retrograde] through the
fallopian tube to establish the lesions. Despite recent advances in medical therapy, there remains no cure for
the disease and surgical removal of the lesions remains a choice for many women. Unfortunately, the
recurrence rate for endometriosis after surgery is high with patients requiring multiple operations and medical
treatment. Factors contributing to recurrence include further retrograde menstruation and seeding as well as
the presence of minute endometriotic residues that are missed during surgery. Intraoperative visualization of
these minute lesions poses an imaging challenge for gynecologic surgeons. Our goal is to reduce
recurrence of the disease after surgery. We have created and patented a nanoplatform that can be
administered systemically before surgery to delineate unresected tissue with real-time near infrared (NIR)
fluorescence during surgery and eliminate unresected residues with photothermal ablation. The platform was
originally developed for cancer therapy and is applicable to endometriosis. The reagent consists of the NIR
dye, silicon naphthalocyanine (SiNc) encapsulated in biodegradable PEG-PCL (poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ɛ-
caprolactone)) nanoparticles. The particles are non-fluorescent until activated within the target cells. In
preliminary studies, we assessed the NIR reagent in macaque endometriotic tissue grafted into severe
combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. We reported that our currently developed nanoparticles internalized in
macaque endometriotic cells and generated a NIR fluorescence signal in lesions in the mice. The NIR
treatment also ablated the endometriotic grafts. Our premise is that nanoparticle platform-assisted
surgical techniques can be employed clinically to permit intraoperative visualization and elimination of
the unresected endometriosis. In this grant, we propose that the specificity of our existing platform can be
enhanced by targeting cell surface receptors in endometriotic lesions. This refinement is an essential step
towards creating new surgical techniques, assessing the safety of the procedures, and conducting impactful
future experiments. In specific aim 1, we will synthesize polymeric nanoparticles that target VEGF receptor 2
(KDR), or other cell surface moieties, overexpressed in endometriosis; assess the particles in human cells and
compare the reagent to our current platform in macaque tissue. In specific aim 2 we will validate that the new
targeted agent can be injected systemically and then specifically accumulate in human lesions engrafted into
SCID mice, and that targeted NIR treatment results in photothermal ablation of the xenografts. Old-World
nonhuman primates, including macaques develop spontaneous endometriosis and provide an animal mod...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9893322
- **Project number:** 1R21HD098642-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** OV D SLAYDEN
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $262,646
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-20 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9893322

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9893322, A nanoparticle-based approach for surgical imaging and intraoperative treatment of endometriosis (1R21HD098642-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9893322. Licensed CC0.

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