We are happy to announce that Dr Paul Yong has been awarded the Michael Smith Foundation Health Professional Investigator Award.
This award is related to his work on sexual pain in endometriosis and the role of somatic mutations, arising from a collaboration between OVCARE and the BC Women’s Centre for Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a common condition, affecting 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, or approximately one million women in Canada. Half of women with endometriosis experience sexual pain, which is felt as pelvic pain with deep penetration during sexual activity.
Together with Dr. Michael Anglesio and Dr. David Huntsman, Dr Yong recently identified non-inherited somatic gene mutations in deep endometriosis (an invasive sub-type).
Through our data registry and tissue bank for endometriosis patients, we will now determine whether these mutations lead to sexual pain, through an association with invasive endometriosis and with increased nerve growth around endometriosis.
In the future, it is possible that mutation testing could be incorporated into clinical care for endometriosis to identify subgroups and promote more individualized care. These mutations could also be potential novel treatment targets for this common condition in women.