Author: Paige Mundy

Belinda Z. Burgos González
Agencia Latina de Noticias de Medicina y Salud Pública

La endometriosis no se percibe como una enfermedad como por ejemplo lo es la diabetes. Más bien, la percepción de esta enfermedad incurable e incapacitante es que se trata de una “changuería” en distintos escenarios sociales, como lo son la pareja y la familia, constituyendo ambos la primera línea de apoyo que suponen tengan estas pacientes.

En el ámbito laboral y entre la atención con profesionales de la salud esta percepción no se excluye. Esto significa un serio problema que coloca a esta comunidad en una posición de vulnerabilidad social.

Estos datos preliminares están contenidos en un estudio realizado por las estudiantes doctorales

Yatzmeli Matías González y Astrid Sánchez Galarza, ambas adscritas al Programa de Psicología clínica de la Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) junto a los investigadores y catedráticos, Dra.Idhaliz Flores Caldera y el Dr. Eliut Rivera-Segarra.

El mismo agrupó grupos focales en donde se entrevistaron a 50 mujeres cisgénero puertorriqueñas sobre sus experiencias viviendo con endometriosis.

“El hallazgo principal de nuestro estudio fue que en el contexto puertorriqueño hay una percepción de que la endometriosis es una “changuería”. Es decir, no se percibe la endometriosis como una condición de salud como por ejemplo la diabetes. Esta percepción de la endometriosis como una “changuería” ocurría en múltiples contextos sociales como, por ejemplo: en su contexto de pareja y familia, en el ámbito social y laboral e incluso en interacciones con profesionales de la salud”, explicó Matías González.

“Eso es un serio problema que les coloca en una posición de vulnerabilidad social. Porque, por ejemplo, cuando una persona llega a una oficina médica y quien le atiende le dice que el dolor que siente no es otra cosa que una “changuería”, esa persona no va a regresar y no va a recibir el tratamiento adecuado. Por ende, cuando se etiqueta a una persona que vive con endometriosis como “changa” o se les dice que su dolor “es una changuería”, se impacta directamente su salud física, mental y socia”, añadió.

Para la doctora Flores, destacads por esfuerzo científico en Puerto Rico para el avance y detección temprana de la enfermedad y ha dado testimonio como paciente, estos hallazgos representan la “etiqueta” que muchas pacientes deben cargar, y ahora se demuestra con hallazgos de un estudio de investigación.

“Este estudio es importante porque resalta una etiqueta que muchas pacientes con endometriosis experimentan día a día: en Puerto Rico ser una “changa” implica debilidad, quejarse sin razón, ser hipersensible. Sin embargo, las pacientes con endometriosis son en mi experiencia todo lo contrario: se enfrentan con valentía a unos síntomas incapacitantes y no se rinden en el proceso de buscarles solución. Ellas solo piden empatía, que les crean cuando explican la magnitud de su dolor. Llamarlas changas es además de desacertado, invalidante a sus experiencias personales”, afirmó.

El que se hayan documentado estas experiencias bajo un proceso empírico demuestra el impacto que tiene esta población de mujeres quienes enfrentan tal estigma, además de su diagnóstico y estadio de la enfermedad y que por ende, pudiera retrasar tanto el diagnóstico y tratamiento de la misma.

“Aún resta por entender si estas experiencias son particulares al contexto de Puerto Rico o si por el contrario también son prevalentes en otros contextos de América Latina. De igual forma aún queda por investigar cómo se relaciona el estigma con síntomas específicos de la condición, así como con la evolución de la misma. Nuestro equipo de investigación compuesto por estudiantes, científicos biomédicos y sociales de la Ponce Health Sciences University, continúan estudiando esta y otras variables psicosociales para lograr desarrollar intervenciones que atiendan de manera integral la salud y bienestar de esta población”, concluyó Matías González.

Acceda al estudio aquí:

Matías-González, Y., Sánchez-Galarza, A., Flores-Caldera, I., &Rivera-Segarra, E. (2020). “Es que tú eres una changa”: Stigma Experiences Among a Group of Women Living with Endometriosis in Puerto Rico. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Fuente: Noticias de Medicina y Salud Pública

In photo from left to right: Dr. Caroline Appleyard, Dr. Annelyn Torres-Reveron and Dr. Idhaliz Flores.

With the support of the PRSTRT Technology Transfer Office, a team of three women scientists and inventors developed a treatment to reduce the progression of endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects close to 10% of women.

October 26^th, 2020. San Juan, Puerto Rico –  The Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust (PRSTRT) Technology Transfer Office (TTO) announced that a new US Patent was issued for the Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) team of three women scientists for a new potential treatment for endometriosis thanks to an inter-institutional agreement between the TTO, the Ponce Medical School Foundation (PMSF) and the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The team is composed of inventors Dr. Annelyn Torres-Reveron, Dr. Caroline Appleyard and Dr. Idhaliz Flores, with PMSF support from Dr. Kenira Thompson.

Dr. Torres-Reveron, who provided leadership for this effort first at PHSU and then from UTRGV expressed: “Repurposing of existing drugs for its use in chronic conditions such as endometriosis, is a crucial strategy to fast-track new therapies into the clinical setting much faster and at lower cost compared to the traditional drug-discovery process.” and  Caroline Appleyard, also one of the creators of the contribution’s conceptualization said: “It’s gratifying to see this translational end-product result from a long-ongoing collaboration to investigate novel potential therapeutic options for targeting this often debilitating disease”.

“As scientists we are not taught that our work can be licensed and developed into products that benefit patients. Maybe, one day, our basic science work can lead to novel treatments or diagnostics,” expressed enthusiastically Dr Flores. Flores is a pioneer in endometriosis research who was also one of seven awardees of the “Ideas-to-Products” (I2P) Biomedical Research Awards by the NIH’s Southeast XLerator Network whose leadership in Puerto Rico is provided by the PRSTRT TTO and its local university partners.

Endometriosis is a disorder in which endometrial tissue is found outside the uterus causing pain, infertility, and stress. Finding effective, non-hormonal and long-term treatments for endometriosis still remains one of the most significant challenges in the field. Thanks to the team’s research, the scientists were able to reduce the progression of endometriotic lesions with a short treatment of the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor antagonist: antalarmin, while alleviating symptoms such as stress, and anxiety. According to the TTO’s Non-Confidential Summary of this patent: A single week of antalarmin administration after endometriosis induction in a rat model reduced the size of endometriotic vesicles by 67%, and the number of vesicles by 30%, upon 53 days of treatment completion. Therefore, a short-term treatment produced long-lasting therapeutic effects.

For his part, Dr. David Gulley, director of the PRSTRT Technology Transfer Office (TTO) expressed: “We are very proud to be part of this accomplishment of securing the first US patent for this research team.  After an inter-institutional agreement was completed between the universities, the TTO managed the invention and patent prosecution. Our main goal is to attract companies for a research collaboration and/or a license to commercialize the invention and ultimately make it available for patients.”

Dr. Gulley explained the TTO role to support this scientific discovery: “After the discovery is disclosed, the TTO manages the patent application and its prosecution with a law firm that has expertise in the science or technology area.  When a patent application is successful, the patent issues, and may take from 1 to 3 years.  This case is now in the marketing stage with the goal of finding companies interested in an R&D collaboration or a license to further develop the invention through the pre-clinical and clinical development stages.” The marketing platform used by the TTO is called  IN-PART which connects university research assets to over 5,500 R&D companies in the network.  “Once a company expresses interest, the TTO manages the relationship, executes the needed agreements, and manages the license terms: progress toward commercialization, patent prosecution, and financial aspects through the license term which is typically 20 years,” concluded Gulley.

“We are proud to see that the research work of three scientists from PHSU begins to bear significant fruit in the development of treatments for endometriosis. We recognize their dedication in this project, and value their commitment to the sciences that help improve the lives and health, in this case, of women. This is an important achievement not only for the Ponce Health Sciences University but also for all of Puerto Rico, since the contributions of women in science are recognized and highlighted, ”said Dr. Kenira Thompson, president of Ponce Research Institute and Vice President of Research at PHSU.

For more information about the collaborations of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust and its TTO Program visit: https://prsciencetrust.org/tech-transfer-office-2/ For more information about the Research program of the PHSU visit: https://www.psm.edu/

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About the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust

The Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, as described in Public Law 214, is a non-profit organization created in 2004 to promote the participation and creation of jobs on the Island in the global knowledge economy by promoting investment and financing of research and development of science and technology. It invests, facilitates, and develops the capacities that continuously advance the economy of Puerto Rico and the well-being of its citizens, through companies based on innovation, science and technology and its industrial base. With the goal that by 2022, Puerto Rico will be a center of global recognition that develops and retains scientists, companies, and entrepreneurs of world excellence, to boost our competitiveness and creativity. It is also responsible for Puerto Rico’s public policy for science, technology, research and development, and public health. For more information: www.prsciencetrust.org

About Ponce Health Sciences University

Ponce Health Sciences University is a higher education institution focusing on the disciplines of Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, and Nursing. Since 1977 it has developed highly trained professionals in the health field. It now has an educational center in Santurce, offering a Master of Medical Science, Master of School Psychology, and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, as well as an extension center in Saint Louis, Missouri. To learn more about Ponce Health Sciences University, interested persons can contact 939-227-5855 or visit www.psm.edu.

Source: Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust  | Technology Transfer Office

The Ponce Research Institute announced it has received a combined $3.5 million in research grants for several projects currently underway.

Of that amount, $750,000 came from the National Institute of Health effective for three years for a project by Eliut Rivera of the Ponce Health Sciences University’s School of Behavioral Sciences entitled: “Reduction of mental health diseases and suicide stigma among medical students.”

Another $2.35 million was awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Vanessa Rivera-Amil’s project related to the augmented monitoring program for the control of arboviruses and the augmented monitoring program for the control of arboviruses including COVID assessment, the institution confirmed.

Rounding out the awards is a $450,000 grant from the NIH’s National Cancer Institute assigned to a project by Guillermo Armáiz of the School of Medicine entitled “Inhibition of adrenergic processes to increase the immunogenicity of the microenvironment of ovarian tumors prior to PD-1-type therapies.”

“These grants allow us to strengthen science on the island, particularly in this historic moment in which health-related research plays a crucial role for Puerto Rico and the world,” said Kenira Thompson, president of Ponce Research Institute and vice president of research for Ponce Health Sciences University.

Ponce Health Sciences University focuses on the disciplines of medicine, clinical psychology, biomedical sciences, public health, and nursing.

Source: News Is My Business