Impact and Genetic Landscape of Endometriosis in Africa

Krina Zondervan of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom will characterize endometriosis in African populations to close knowledge gaps and inform the development of non-surgical diagnostics and therapeutics with global applicability. Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition due to growth of endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterus, and it can cause pain and infertility. Working with local collaborators, they will collect endometriosis and related phenotypic data for women across South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya, with genetic data collected from a subset of women. They will identify women with confirmed endometriosis and collect phenotypic data through a globally standardized questionnaire. including the condition's impact on quality of life. They will perform genome-wide association analysis, investigate putative causal genetic variants to help uncover biological mechanisms, and hold meetings to inform and strengthen the collaboration network and plan future research.