Defining the impact of androgens on macrophage function during endometrial tissue repair

Macrophages are essential mediators of tissue repair but we lack fundamental knowledge about how they are regulated in the endometrium.

Androgens regulate macrophage function in other tissue repair contexts but their role in endometrial repair has not been defined.

This project will determine how macrophages are regulated in endometrial repair by assessing their turnover and phenotype and how this is affected by androgens by using a highly reproducible mouse model of endometrial repair that we have developed.

The key goals of this project are; - to determine whether monocytes contribute to the endometrial macrophage function in repair, - to define how androgens mediate intrinsic and extrinsic effects on endometrial macrophage function and - to investigate how androgen excess alter macrophage function in aberrant repair.

This will be achieved by using fate-mapping techniques, transcriptomics analysis, multiparameter flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry combined with pharmacological and genetic approaches to modulate androgen action.

These studies will establish that macrophages are critical mediators of endometrial repair and modulation of their phenotype by androgens determines the balance between healthy and disordered tissue repair.

These important insights will provide a platform for assessing macrophage AR as a potential therapeutic target in reproductive health.