The scientific article “PD-1 Expression in Endometriosis” was distinguished on the cover of the December edition of the prestigious journal “Immuno”. The work has José Reis as first author and counts with the collaboration of Catarina Martins, Miguel Ângelo Dias, Natacha Nurdine Rosa, Luís Miguel Borrego , and Jorge Lima , integrated in the context of Hospital da Luz WHALE research group, of which the latter is coordinator. The innovating study now published on “Immuno” has analysed the role of a immune system protein, PD-1, in the development and evolution of endometriosis , a chronic disease that affects millions of women all over the world and which immunological component has been gaining increasing scientific acknowledgement. The results of the analysis have shown a significant increase of NK immune cells that express PD-1 in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis. These cells, which play an essential role in the elimination of abnormal tissues, seem to be functionally inhibited by the action of PD-1, which could facilitate the persistency of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. The study further revealed that PD-1 expression varies according to body max index and smoking habit, being more significant in women with symptomatic or more extensive disease. Conjunctly, these findings point to the existence of evasion mechanisms of the immune system similar to those observed in cancer, reinforcing PD-1 as potential target for future immunomodulatory therapies in the treatment of endometriosis . The Gynaecology-Obstetrics Service of Hospital da Luz Lisboa is a centre of reference in the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis. The WHALE is a research group created in the context of Hospital da Luz research incentive programme.
