More than 370,000 South Koreans sought medical help for infertility or difficulties in conceiving over the past year, according to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. This marks a 4.7% rise in infertility-related treatments and a 16% jump in subfertility treatments compared to 2018. While the country’s birth rate continues to fall, more individuals are turning to medical care to address fertility issues.
Infertility can result from many causes, and accurate diagnosis is key to effective treatment. Both the patient’s gender and the specific issue must be considered to find the right solution.
One key factor in female fertility is the health of the endometrium—the lining of the uterus. A thin or damaged endometrium makes it harder for an embryo to implant and raises the risk of miscarriage. Standard treatments like hormone therapy and endometrial injections have had limited success.
Now, researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and CHA University have developed a new treatment that shows promising results. They created a gel that mimics the natural environment of uterine cells. This gel can help regenerate the endometrium and support successful pregnancies.
The team was led by Professor Dong-Woo Cho and Professor Jinah Jang of POSTECH, along with colleagues from CHA University. Together, they developed a hydrogel made from a uterus-derived decellularized extracellular matrix (UdECM). This material, made by removing cells from uterine tissue, closely resembles the body’s natural environment.
Extracellular matrices like UdECM are used in regenerative medicine because they support tissue growth. They are already used in organ transplants and 3D-printed tissues.
The researchers created two types of hydrogel—one from entire uterine tissue and another from a specific layer of the endometrium. In tests on mice, the hydrogel helped restore endometrial thickness and improved the chances of embryo implantation. The material was also safe, with a 90% embryo survival rate.
The team also identified key molecules involved in the regeneration process, including insulin-like growth factor (IGF1) and insulin growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP3). Their findings open the door for more targeted and personalized infertility treatments.
Depending on the source tissue, the hydrogel may also help treat conditions like intrauterine adhesions and repeated implantation failure. These results could pave the way for tailored therapies based on a patient’s specific needs.
Professor Cho expressed hope for the future of this treatment. “We have successfully developed a uterine tissue-specific hydrogel for endometrial regeneration and successful pregnancy,” he said. “I am hopeful that further research into its clinical application can bring hope to patients grappling with infertility.”
This research was funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea through the Mid-Career Research Program and by the Korean Fund for Regenerative Medicine, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
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