What: Endometriosis is associated with specific changes in the bacterial groups that colonise the vaginal tract, but the causal factors behind these associations are uncharted. By exploring conserved microbial activities contributing to inflammation, this project aims to gain mechanistic insights into the vaginal microbiome links to endometriosis.

Why: Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects 1 in 10 women and is associated with severe pain, infertility risks, and reduced quality of life. Increasing evidence links the vaginal microbiome to endometriosis, however current insights remain largely observational.

How: The project will combine culturomics, comparative genomics, as well as functional and computational modelling of vaginal microbiome activities from endometriosis patients and healthy controls. Activities associated with disease will be identified and subsequently characterised using biochemical assays, mass spectrometry, and structural methods.

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