Seeking the Causes of PCOS
Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
CLINICAL NEWS: Seeking the Causes of PCOS — NIH Grant Renewed
for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Study
John Marshall, MD, principal investigator for the study.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a consortium of investigators, including the University of Virginia, University of Michigan and Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, a grant to support the Center for Research in Reproduction’s (CRR) “clinical and basic studies in polycystic ovarian syndrome” (PCOS). The award represents a renewal for years 21 through 25, and totals approximately $9 million.
The goal of the project is to understand the abnormalities of physiology that cause hyperandrogenemia, one of the primary symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Hyperandrogenemia causes increased male hormone production in young girls, particularly those who are overweight; a long-term goal of the study is identifying girls prior to the onset of puberty that have elevated male hormone levels, so that the abnormality can be corrected and normal pubertal maturation can occur and subsequent fertility develop.
John Marshall, MD, PhD, is the grant’s principal investigator; Christopher McCartney, MD, and Christine Burt Solorzano, MD, lead the clinical studies.