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| Dr Shayanti Mukherjee |
New treatment for millions of women affected by a hidden
condition, pelvic organ prolapse, is the focus of Dr Shayanti Mukherjee’s novel
bioengineering project, thanks to a prestigious John Stocker Postdoctoral
Fellowship.
The highly competitive Science and Industry Endowment Fund
(SIEF) John Stocker Postdoctoral Fellowship was awarded to The Ritchie Centre’s
Associate Professor Caroline Gargett, Dr Jerome Werkmeister, CSIRO
Manufacturing, and Dr Anna Rosamilia from Monash Health to train Research
Fellow Dr Mukherjee for her project "Bioengineering Novel Nanobiomaterial
based Cellular Therapies for the Prevention of Childbirth Induced Pelvic Organ
Prolapse".
A debilitating but hidden condition affecting one in five
women, Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) commences during pregnancy and childbirth
and exacerbates with ageing and obesity.
“At present, millions of women worldwide suffer
from POP with very limited treatment options,” said The Ritchie Centre’s Dr Mukherjee.
“POP is associated with sexual, bladder, and
bowel dysfunction, including incontinence that profoundly affect the quality of
life and daily functioning of sufferers; in Australia, more than $200 million
was spent on urinary incontinence in 2009.”
In the last decade, pelvic support using
surgical meshes (primarily synthetic) has been heavily employed with reports of
successful outcomes.
However, the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) issued Public Health Notifications in 2008 and 2011 due to significant
and unacceptable mesh-related complications, leading to the withdrawal of
several brands of surgical meshes from the market.
Dr Mukherjee said there are currently no
clinical trials on cell-based therapies for POP incorporating surgical
implants in or outside Australia.
“With
the elderly population expected to double by 2030, POP is expected to become
more prevalent without any reliable treatment options, representing a
significant health and economic challenge for Australia and world-wide,” added
Dr Mukherjee.
To
address this major health challenge, Dr Mukherjee’s project will develop new
biocompatible surgical constructs for the prevention and treatment of POP.
“Dr Mukherjee's project aims to develop new
hydrogels based on self-assembling peptides for delivering mesenchymal
stem cells to the vaginal walls or pelvic floor muscles to prevent women
developing pelvic organ prolapse,” said Head, Endometrial Stem Cell Biology
Laboratory Associate Professor Gargett.
“Until now, the use of extracellular matrix (ECM) mimicking nanobiomaterials has never
been explored for POP,” said Dr Mukherjee.
“My project will also develop new viable
secondary prophylaxis for postpartum women to prevent POP and long term
surgical treatment options for women with POP.”
“Dr
Mukherjee will accelerate the clinical translation of these materials and will drive
the project through novel study design, experimentation, data analysis, student
supervision, new surgical skill development, conference presentation in our new
Monash Health Translational Precinct,” said Associate Professor Gargett.
“I will be able to bring together 3 different fields (stem
cell biology, nanotechnology and clinical work in gynaecology) and develop a
solution to POP, while receiving mentoring from experts in all three
fields and contributing to the research excellence of
The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Monash
University,” said Dr Mukherjee.
“POP is a hidden burden—women don't talk about it, they
suffer in silence,” said Dr Mukherjee. “This fellowship signifies support and
interest in Australia to improve women’s quality of life.”
The highly competitive SIEF
Award provides a 3 year Fellowship for just six postdoctoral fellows each year
across Australia covering all scientific disciplines. In 2015 there were 179
applicants.
“The goal of the John Stocker Fellowship is to train highly
competitive scientists within three years of postdoctoral experience
to become independent researchers at the completion of the Fellowship,” added Associate
Professor Gargett, who is also Postgraduate Co-ordinator, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University.
“Dr Mukherjee’s Fellowship experience in The Ritchie Centre
and CSIRO environments will provide her with an excellent foundation on which
to launch her future career as a research leader in Australia.”
This important project is a collaborative study
involving researchers and clinicians from CSIRO, The Ritchie Centre, Hudson
Institute, Monash Health and Monash University.
