Major advance for women’s health: Scientists set to revolutionise fibroids research and treatment

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Victoria Gallery and Museum University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool’s Department of Women’s and Children’s Health have been awarded a £300k grant for FIBROSAFE – a study that will develop better treatment and management of fibroid-induced bleeding.

What are fibroids?

  • Fibroids are common benign (non-cancerous) tumours of the uterine wall.
  • It is thought two in three women develop at least one fibroid at some point in their life. Fibroids disproportionately affect women of colour. Black women are three times more likely to develop fibroids.
  • Uterine fibroids account for 29% of hospital admissions for gynaecological disease and 40-60% of all hysterectomies in the UK and globally.
  • Uterine fibroids cause heavy menstrual bleeding, anaemia and postpartum haemorrhage.

Fibroids and postpartum haemorrhage

A quarter of all maternal deaths worldwide are due to postpartum haemorrhage and women with fibroids are at greater risk of developing the condition.

Globally, postpartum haemorrhage is estimated to effect 14 million women every year, resulting in over 70,000 deaths (mostly in low- and middle-income countries), which is equivalent to one death every six minutes.

What will the study achieve?

FIBROSAFE researchers will collect and analyse large amounts of data to uncover new knowledge and insights about fibroids, which will lead to the development of better treatment and management of the condition.

Ultimately, the study has the potential to change – and save – women’s lives.

Speaking about the project, Professor Hapangama,  Professor of Gynaecology at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at the University, said: “Since fibroids directly cause heavy menstrual bleeding and bleeding after birth in affected women, the burden of symptoms, morbidity and even mortality related to fibroids is a disregarded tragedy on the global scale.

“Our approach is therefore novel and unique to consider fibroids as a target to prevent adverse outcomes in women living with fibroids, while improving their wellbeing.”

The study begins in autumn 2025 and is set to finish in the summer of 2028.

Key objectives:

  1. To understand the differences between fibroid types.
  2. To understand the mechanisms of fibroid-induced bleeding.
  3. To mimic fibroid tissue to understand how it works (in pregnant and non-pregnant women).

Key deliverables:

  1. Identifying potential treatments for fibroid associated bleeding after birth (for postpartum haemorrhage).
  2. Identifying potential treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding associated with fibroids.
  3. Developing a laboratory model of fibroids in women (both pregnant and non-pregnant).

Funding

FIBROSAFE is a £1.7 million study. The £300k grant has been awarded by the Vinehill Trust and will fund the discovery science phase of the project. It will also help to unlock other sources of funding, from research councils, foundations, and philanthropists.

If you are interested in supporting FIBROSAFE, please contact Francesca Spickernell, Head of Trusts and Foundations (fspick@liverpool.ac.uk), to learn more about how your support could transform the lives of women living with fibroids and advance the field of women’s health.

The FIBROSAFE team

This translational study combines the expertise of clinical, computational and discovery science researchers. The collaborative research team listed below, led by Professor Hapangama – Professor of Gynaecology at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at the University – will formulate novel and personalised treatments for fibroid-associated bleeding.

Dr. Chris Hill is a postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) in the lab of Professor Hapangama. His extensive and relevant research expertise in biomaterial fabrication, primary cell culture (relevant to fibroid modelling) and omics data analysis will be key to the success of the project. Dr. Hill will be coordinating the work packages for this project.

Professor Hapangama’s research group works on:

  • Normal regeneration of the human endometrium
  • Endometrial epithelial stem cells
  • Telomerase/telomere biology in the context of endometrial disease, such as endometriosis, peri-conceptional pathology and endometrial cancer.

Women’s health research at the University

The Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at the University is a global powerhouse in women’s health research, teaching and innovation.

Thanks to funding from Wellbeing of Women’s Clinical Research Training Fellowship and the work of Research Training Fellow at the time, Dr. Nicola Tempest (supervised by Prof. Hapangama) the University is globally acknowledged for its research excellence around endometrial histoarchitecture, which has re-written textbooks, redefining our understanding of uterine physiology.

The data generated by Dr. Tempest proved the existence of human endometrial epithelial stem cells for the first time and demonstrated a unique, previously unknown three-dimensional microarchitecture of the human endometrial glands. The knowledge generated from this project regarding cell type and region specific differences in the uterus will contribute to FIBROSAFE. There were 28 high impact publications arising from this grant.

This work is supported by the development of organ-on-chip models of fibroids/the uterus to facilitate research and drug development, and the team’s work on revealing novel insights behind fibroid induced bleeding and uterine contractility, with major implications for heavy menstrual bleeding and postpartum haemorrhage.

FIBROSAFE spearheads ground-breaking research across obstetrics, gynaecology, neonatology, mental health and paediatrics.

Get in touch

The FIBROSAFE team welcome people to get in touch to discuss the project.

For research-related enquiries, please contact:

For funding-related enquiries, please get in touch with:

You can find more about the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health via the University website.