The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recently renewed a grant to the University Center for Research in Reproduction.
The $5.5 million grant extends the center's study on polycystic ovary syndrome for five years, which began in 1993.
The purpose of the study is to investigate one of two leading theories as to the origin of the syndrome. The theory on which the study focuses blames the pituitary gland for the imbalance.
"The grant is several projects designed to understand the cause, and hopefully design new treatments for the disorder through studying both human and animal models," said Suzanne Moenter, assistant professor of medicine and cell biology and one of the chief researchers.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder that afflicts between 5-10 percent of women of reproductive age. The symptoms vary but can include excessive hair growth, hair loss, acne, polycystic ovaries, infertility, irregular menstrual cycles and obesity. Women with the syndrome are at risk of developing a variety of health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
Because the symptoms associated with polycystic ovary syndrome vary, and are usually not associated with any dangerous disorder, it often remains undiagnosed.
"Some of the biggest problems of PCOS have been just defining the syndrome," said Margaret Shupnik, a professor of internal medicine and a member of the research team. "Many women aren't diagnosed with it. Women often discover they have PCOS only after seeking treatment for infertility."
Though researchers know the syndrome develops when the ovaries overproduce androgens such as testosterone, there is little knowledge of the underlying causes of this overproduction.
The study combines conventional research with clinical trials, which are done in partnership with John Nester of the Medical College of Virginia. Nester is a pioneer in therapeutic treatments of the syndrome, and a strong advocate of administrating insulin sensitizing drugs to treat the syndrome.
Many University students have volunteered to participate in the clinical trials, both as controls and as patients.
"We have had an excellent response from students," says John Marshall, the principal investigator of the study.
The research team at the University consists of Marshall, Margaret Shupnik, Suzanne Moenter and Daniel Haisenleder. Marshall leads the study; Shupnik investigates the effect on the pituitary gland of androgens; Moenter studies the regulation of brain neurons and the effect of androgens on them; Haisenleder leads the core laboratories.
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