{
  "id": 14305732,
  "title": "A closer look at endometriosis pain: New map reveals key cellular interactions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/a-closer-look-at-endometriosis-pain-new-map-reveals-key-cellular",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-13T22:20:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-closer-endometriosis-pain-reveals-key.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For years, people living with endometriosis have struggled to convince doctors of their excruciating pelvic pain and other debilitating symptoms. Now, new research from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) may offer a breakthrough in understanding this chronic disease. By mapping the cellular interactions within endometriosis lesions, the study reveals how neurons and immune cells amplify pain signaling, a discovery that could lead to more effective treatments.\n\nLed by JAX developmental biologist Caroline Haney, the team utilized human tissue samples from the EndoRISE biorepository in Connecticut, the only state-funded program in the U.S. that combines endometriosis sample collection, distribution, education, advocacy, and awareness. Haney noted that doctors often dismiss patients' symptoms, claiming menstrual cycles are naturally painful, but the new findings show that endometriosis pain is a biological reaction, not just a psychological response.\n\nEndometriosis affects approximately 10% of female-born individuals, causing lesions outside the uterus that can lead to inflammation, scarring, pain, and infertility. The exact mechanisms behind the disease remain poorly understood, making diagnosis and treatment challenging. To address this, the JAX team used advanced spatial transcriptomics to map the spatial architecture of lesion cells, focusing on the ovaries and peritoneum, the most common lesion sites.\n\nThe research uncovered that lesion cells organize into distinct layers surrounding epithelial glands. The \"close stroma,\" or areas nearest the glands, are enriched in MME+ fibroblasts, activated macrophages, and pain-sensing nerve cells. In contrast, the \"far stroma\" contains different fibroblasts, immune cells like B cells and mast cells. This pattern was consistent across ovarian and peritoneal lesions.\n\nThe key finding is that nociceptive neurons, responsible for transmitting pain, cluster near epithelial glands, where they interact with activated macrophages and fibroblasts that may promote nerve growth. This creates a neuro-immune feedback loop that drives chronic pain and inflammation, with the strongest signaling occurring in the close stroma. Farther from the glands, these interactions weaken, and pain signaling decreases significantly.\n\nThe study also demonstrated that combining human sensory nerve organoids with patient-derived epithelial cells and fibroblasts from lesions confirmed that epithelial cells paired with fibroblasts can attract neurons, pushing them toward a pain-sensing, inflammatory state. The researchers are now planning to integrate more immune components into their in vitro models to explore potential therapeutic approaches that could break the neuroinflammatory processes prompted by lesion components.\n\nThe findings, published in Nature Communications, offer new hope for developing more effective treatments for endometriosis. Current options, such as pain relievers, hormonal therapy, and surgeries, often provide only temporary relief or may not prevent lesion recurrence. By understanding the cellular interactions within endometriosis lesions, scientists hope to pave the way for more targeted and long-lasting solutions.",
  "summary": "People with endometriosis often report struggling for years to have their agonizing pelvic pain, severe period cramps and other life-impacting symptoms taken seriously by doctors. New research from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) may help change that, as scientists have mapped the endometriosis lesion microenvironment in detail.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}