Investigators: Julie Kim, PhD
Institution: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Clinical Challenge
- Uterine fibroids affect most women during their lifetime and remain a leading cause of hysterectomy. Despite their prevalence and impact on quality of life, the biological mechanisms that initiate fibroid formation and drive their growth remain poorly understood, limiting non-surgical treatment options
- The burden of fibroids is not shared equally. Black women are diagnosed at younger ages, experience more severe symptoms, and face higher rates of surgical intervention, highlighting a critical unmet need for more equitable, non-surgical treatment options.
Innovation
- The Kim Lab investigates uterine fibroids through a novel focus on cellular stress and hormone-mediated final state this work identifies new opportunities for targeted, non-surgical intervention.
Approach
- Define the molecular events that initiate fibroid formation.
- Identify mechanisms that allow fibroid cells to persist and grow despite cellular stress.
- Investigate biological drivers underlying racial disparities in fibroid burden.
- Utilize patient-derived 3D fibroid “mini-tumor” models to test therapies in biologically realistic systems.
- Integrate laboratory findings with human pathology through close collaboration with Jian-Jun Wei, MD.
Impact
- Advance understanding of how fibroids begin and persist.
- Identify new molecular targets for precision, non-surgical therapies.
- Reduce reliance on hysterectomy through gentler treatment strategies.
- Address health disparities by uncovering drivers of increased fibroid burden.
- Enable more predictable, preventable, and equitable fibroid care.
Partnering with DFF
- DFF can invest in the Kim Lab to support science focused on actual disease modification, not just symptom management. This work has the potential to transform fibroid care, making prevention, early intervention, and personalized treatment a reality for millions of women.
