Investigational Therapy

What are uterine fibroids?

• Uterine fibroids are stiff, non-cancerous tumors that contain altered collagen.

• Fibroids can grow to varying sizes and occur throughout the uterus.

• They effect 70% of women worldwide.

• Fibroids can contribute to severe morbidity (pain, bleeding, anemia) and infertility.

• More than 80% of Black women and nearly 70% of White women have fibroids by age 50.

Our group is passionate about developing a cost-effective and easily administered new investigational treatment for uterine fibroids that can be administered without unwanted side effects or invasive surgery.

How does collagenase therapy treat fibroids?

Collagenase treatment of uterine fibroids is a novel investigational therapy that directly targets and degrades the fibroid’s main structural component, collagen. Current therapies for uterine fibroids either treats only the symptoms, often ineffectively, or removes fibroids via invasive surgery, which can ultimately lead to infertility. Collagenase directly targets the fibroid in a minimally invasive manner, resulting in reduced fibroid size and pain in patients. Our particular collagenase only targets the types of collagen that constitute the fibroid and no other collagen-containing tissues, such as nerves and blood vessels.

How is treatment administered?

The investigational collagenase treatment could be administered via injection, similar to other outpatient procedures such as a dental procedure or intra-joint injection. This uterus preserving investigational treatment would be administered after local anesthetic by ultrasound-guided injection using IVF needles in an outpatient setting. This significantly reduces the risks associated with current hysterectomy standard of care, enhances patient access to care, and retains patient choice in fertility.

What is LiquoGel™?

• LiquoGel™ is an injectable hydrogel-copolymer.

• It can deliver water-soluble and non-water-soluble drugs.

• This formulation is liquid at room temperature and transitions to a gel at normal body temperatures.

• These novel properties promote a slow and local release of the collagenase treatment.

• Systemic effects, as are the case with hormone therapy treatment of uterine fibroids, are minimized using LiquoGel™ as it enables extended localized treatment within the fibroid itself.