Jennifer Barton, a biomedical engineering professor at the University of Arizona, has received a five-year, $3 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to develop a microscopic imaging tool for detecting endometriosis in fallopian tubes.
The device is a 1-millimeter-wide scope designed to identify endometriosis damage by analyzing cilia movement. Cilia are hairlike structures that line organs, and in healthy tissue they beat in coordinated patterns. Endometriosis damage causes erratic movement.
The scope uses optical coherence tomography to capture images of cilia. The research team is applying machine learning algorithms to analyze cilia activity.
Endometriosis affects more than 10% of women ages 15 to 44 in the United States. The condition causes tissue similar to the uterine lining to grow outside the uterus, including in fallopian tubes, which can prevent conception or lead to ectopic pregnancies.
Barton has spent 20 years developing imaging devices and is moving a falloposcope for detecting ovarian cancer through clinical trials. The team is partnering with Baylor College of Medicine to expand the study.
